Capcom had quite a lot to show at Gamescom this year. Mega Man had stolen my attention, but I was curious about this new expansion for Dragon’s Dogma 2. Entitled Dark Arisen, it’s a new quite meaty campaign focused on the character of the Arisen. I got the chance to get hands on and give it a go for myself... The post We played Dragon’s Dogma 2: Dark Arisen on Nintendo Switch 2, here are our thoughts appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

The launch trailer for Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault has been published to accompany the game’s launch. After the previous title made it out way back in 2018, the action RPG sequel lands on Nintendo Switch 2. All of the important details can be found in the following overview: Dive deep into Action-RPG with roguelike elements and a tale about... The post Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault launch trailer – action RPG sequel lands on Nintendo Switch 2 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Round1 USA announced the second part of its One Piece crossover is live with new merchandise. This continues a promotion that started back in July 2026. New items with themed art of the anime and manga characters tied to purchases will be available, and there will be new figures and plush of One Piece characters in the crane games. However, it did note that the Sanji and Roronoa Zoro t-shirts for the event are not available yet and don’t have a release date for either one. Some kinds of Round1 USA One Piece merchandise are tied to purchases. You can get Franky & Jinbe, Nami & Nico Robin, and Usopp & Brook keychains if you make game credit purchases. You need to make a minimum $55 purchase to get one, and you can get more with larger purchases. When the shirts are in-stock, you can pay an additional $40 when you purchase or reload game credits to get a Sanji or Zoro shirt and playmat. If you become or are a club member, there are three new kinds of club cards featuring Nami & Robin, Sanji & Zoro, or Usopp & Brook. A Luffy bowling keychain comes with 120 minute or longer karaoke package purchases. There’s also a karaoke and party promotional item that nets you a Sanji blanket for an additional $45. The similar Zoro blanket is tied to Spo-cha and also costs an additional $45.  Other elements of the promotion are tied to food and drinks. If you get an item from the One Piece collaboration menu and spend $10, you get a random themed coaster. A Luffy bowling collector’s cup with free soda refills will be sold for $20. If you buy anything from the restaurant section, you can pay $30 more for a themed tote bag, and any purchase over $30 comes with a free sticker of Luffy & Tony Tony Chopper. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ As for the One Piece crane game figures and plush heading to Round1 USA, these are tied to the main series and the Chopper spin-off . The four figures are of Luffy, with one featuring him drinking, two of him in Gear 5 form with the Round1 logo, and one of him about to attack in his Gear 5 form. 10 3. 3 inch tall plush of Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe will appear in machines. There will also be 3. 9 inch, 9. 4 inch, and 13. 7 inch tall plush of Chopper. Here’s the full gallery of Round1 USA One Piece merchandise available in the September 2026 second wave.

Images via Image via Round1, Toei, Shueisha, and Eiichiro Oda This isn’t the only September 2026 One Piece event in the US. There’s also a Spongebob McDonald’s Happy Meal promotion on the way with crossover toys featuring the Nickelodeon characters as pirates. You can find the One Piece anime on services like Crunchyroll and Netflix, the manga via Viz Media, the live-action adaptation on Netflix, and the upcoming Lego animated special on Netflix. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Poncle announced a charitable blood drive promotion tied to Vampire Survivors that can result in people getting free copies of the game and Legacy of the Bloodmoon DLC expansion . This runs between September 2-30, 2026, while supplies last. Both actual donations of blood and financial donations qualify, as noted on the official site , with people able to submit proof via the official Google Form . It is also possible to enter for free by drawing an original ad for blood donations and sharing it on social media. This charity promotion means anyone who participates in the blood drive gets a copy of both the base Vampire Survivors game and Legacy of the Bloodmoon DLC expansion for any of the available platforms. The official form noted people can sign up for a Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC (Epic Games Store and Steam available), mobile, and Apple Arcade. If you choose a console as your option, you do need to note your region to ensure you get the correct codes. This is a one-per-participant option for people ages 18 and older. As for proof, someone will need to provide photos or screenshots. If you actually donate blood, you need to note when you went, the organization you went through, and things like your record via email or app screenshot and photo of yourself at the appointment. With monetary donations, Poncle requested screenshots of things like the finished donation page, donation email, or site receipt. People who supply valid proof and submit the form while supplies last will get their codes within 30 days. If someone is going for the free option, they must draw a blood donation ad and share a photo of it on social media with the hashtag #BloodForTheBloodmoon while also mentioning the official site and charitable Poncle campaign. They then use the same Google form or email the link and photo of the art they hand-drew to bloodmoon@withvendetta.com . Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ There is a charitable donation-matching program in effect too. Poncle announced it will match donations up to $5,000. It also set up a Tiltify that benefits the American Red Cross. Vampire Survivors and its Legacy of the Bloodmoon DLC are available now for the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox, PC, mobile devices, and Apple Arcade. The charity blood drive will run between September 2-30, 2026 while supplies last.

CD Projekt Red has released its latest earnings report for the first half of 2026, and in short, it was a banger of a period for the company, and things are only expected to improve with many big-name releases on the horizon. For the January-July period, CD Projekt Red generated 435 million PLN ($116. 4 million USD) in revenue, which was up 23% year-over-year. Additionally, the company posted a net profit of 249 million PLN ($66. 6 million USD), which was up 37% year-over-year. Total net profitability for the company was a very impressive 57%. Management said in its report that these strong results were driven in part by "strong sales" of The Witcher and Cyberpunk games. Additionally, CD Projekt said it benefitted nicely from licensing revenue, a category that is becoming more and more important to the company. The company specifically called out licensing deals that Cyberpunk 2077 had with games like Wuthering Waves and Apex Legends this year. Additionally, the company pointed out how well Cyberpunk TCG did on Kickstarter. It would appear that CD Projekt's revenues are only set to grow further in the time ahead. That's because the studio has a lot of big games and content on tap, including The Witcher 3 Remastered this year , The Witcher 3's Songs of the Past expansion in 2027 , and then The Witcher 4 in 2028 .

Prison Architect 2--a very highly anticipated sequel--was originally scheduled to launch way back in 2024. The game was delayed to September of that year before later being delayed indefinitely, but after more than two years of waiting, we finally have a sign that it could be approaching a new release date: another beta test. Following a beta back in April--which was the first official update from Paradox on the game since it was delayed in 2024--Prison Architect 2 will hold another closed beta for September. The sign-up sheet , which is now closed, asks a few different questions of potential testers. The most important is if they are willing to sign an NDA, so don't expect news to come out of the closed beta. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF6Celg50vM The actual playtest will run from September 9-15, but it's unclear if the closed beta will be followed by an open beta later down the line. Back in August of 2024, Paradox said "we need more time to improve both the game's performance and its content," offering refunds to those who preorders and not committing to a new release date. The game hasn't been available to purchase since then, which could lead to people thinking it was canceled. Above, you can see a video of what the game looked like back then. It's been well over a decade since the original Prison Architect released. In addition to PC, it's available on Xbox, PlayStation, and iOS. Prison Architect 2 is planned to launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S alongside PC.

With headlines dominated by stories of buyouts, layoffs, employee mistreatment, and crunch, it's easy to think that game development is a constant parade of misery and strife. But the vast majority of developers still make games out of genuine love for the medium--and feel deeply connected to their teammates. The surprise announcement of a Steam remake of NES cult classic Battle of Olympus showcases the joyful side of game development: a project born of an idea that blossomed into a real-life romance, decade-long careers, and gratitude for the fans who have kept the game in peoples' minds. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6cLmT6_oNg The Battle of Olympus is a side-scrolling action-RPG released in 1988 by Broderbund for the NES. The visuals and gameplay take a lot of cues from Zelda II, though with a Greek mythology-inspired story and setting and a pretty solid challenge level throughout. It's been described as "a hidden gem" of the NES library many times, often overshadowed by similar titles, but beloved by those who enjoyed it. Notably, The Battle of Olympus was developed in Japan by a very small developer named Infinity. How small? Well, the game's credits list a whopping three different people--Yukio Horimoto, Reiko Oshida, and Kazuo Sawa. Yukio and Reiko were the two main collaborators, with Yukio handling programming, Reiko on art design, and the pair working together on the game's story. As it turns out, the project would lead the two to discover their connection to each other, and they would marry soon after--making it very fitting that The Battle of Olympus's Japanese subtitle is "The Legend of Love." Infinity would grow and continue work as a contract developer, porting titles from series like Ultima and Doom to various platforms while also releasing original work like GameCube fan-favorite Ribbit King. However, it now appears that Yukio and Reiko are ready to retire, and they want to do so by re-releasing the game that both brought them together and put Infinity on the map. But, as the YouTube video announcement emphasizes, this wouldn't have happened without the decades of support from fans of The Battle of Olympus, who continue to support the game through videos, streaming, and discussion. It's hard not to watch the announcement video with a smile on your face, with Reiko happily describing the game's development, what it means to them, and how much fan support has touched them over such a long time. In a sea of depressing news, sometimes we need a love story to remind us why games can be so great.

Sega announced a new MegaMan. EXE Luminasta figure that is an exact replica of the character art that appeared on the Mega Man Battle Network Japanese GBA box and promotional materials. It will launch in Japan on October 9, 2026. We’ll first see it as a prize figure in arcades. After that, we’ll see it in the US on the Sega Amazon storefront like other other Mega Man Luminasta releases . Sites like Big Bad Toy Store are also already showing it for $24. 99 . This MegaMan. EXE figure is expected to be around eight and a half inches tall (22cm). He’s posed with his right arm outstretched, about to fire his Mega Buster. He also looks like he’s leaping into the air as he attacks. A translucent base is included to accentuate the illusion. He’s a static figure with no extra parts. Here is a gallery with all of the official photos Sega shared so far. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+

Images via Capcom and Sega To compare, here’s how the original Japanese GBA box art for Mega Man Battle Network looked, courtesy of an image on GameFaqs .

Image via Capcom and GameFaqs The Mega Man Battle Network Luminasta figure of MegaMan. EXE will show up in Japan on October 9, 2026, then worldwide after that. The game is available on the GBA and via the Switch, PS4, and PC Mega Man Battle Network Legacy Collection Vol. 1 . We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

If the latest retailer listings are to be believed, Ubisoft could be putting Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced on Nintendo Switch 2. French retailer E. Leclerc has reason to believe that Lexip is producing an Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced themed ‘Advanced Pro Wireless Controller’ for the system. It’s apparently coming very soon as it’s listed for September 22, 2026. Below... The post Rumor: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced could be bound for Nintendo Switch 2, based on retailer listings appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Battlefield 4 confirmed to be affected by this. As we continue to learn more and more about the Xbox Disc to Digital feature due to its rollout for Xbox Insiders, it's been discovered that some games only work if you use certain physical variants, with one example being Battlefield 4 . The folks behind the XCT.live social media account mentioned this earlier today, stating they were "convinced" about their findings (mentioning Call of Duty: Ghosts as a possible culprit in the process), while others started to suggest that Battlefield 4 was affected as well. Read the full article on purexbox.com

After working on Ontos for over a decade, it is incredibly exciting to take a deep dive into the gameplay. Ontos is a spiritual successor to Soma, posing deep philosophical questions to players. Because of this, it is also always hard to figure out how to make it understandable in a short video. The focus of the game is not a tight, moment-to-moment gameplay loop, but a slower-paced experience of researching, testing, and eventually making a few critical choices. Now that we have a chance to showcase 10 minutes, it feels much easier to convey the intended feel of the game. Play Video

The main idea of the game is that you encounter complex experiments, each with its own setup, questions, and philosophical dilemmas. In this video, we get to see Crombie, who has been trapped in a computer server made of rats. Or at least that is what he says… As you can see in the video, the game starts by exploring nearby locations. These are often filled with information that helps you better understand the people and issues involved. In this case, there is even a small experiment, a strapped-in rat, that gives a taste of the difficulties to come. Here, players can test theories and make mistakes before encountering the main experiment. Another early character is Zike – who we hear briefly over an intercom. Zike is a man seemingly obsessed with finding the soul. Understanding stuff like this is not just fun lore, but a critical part of the game. The better you understand how a character works, the more informed decisions you can make. Sometimes it is best to avoid certain questions or give answers contrary to your own feelings to achieve the intended results. Verify your age to view this content. Once we enter the lab, we finally get the Rat Server revealed. I love this setup. Our thinking behind it was just to let a person be made from something that feels highly unlikely. Someone being simulated by a computer is not so hard to accept in this day and age. But by 60 rats strapped to a server rack? That is a harder pill to swallow. The hope is that these setups act as catalysts to other thoughts and questions. Are the rats conscious too? Can two conscious beings inhabit the same physical substrate? This is a good taste of what we want to provide in Ontos. Verify your age to view this content. After you have met the Crombie (or the rat server, however you wanna feel about the situation), it is time for an experiment. You need to manipulate the probes on the Crombie’s head delicately. Now the player faces many options. You can follow the instructions or try other things based on things you’ve seen and read. The goal with all of this is to create a tense scene by mixing goals, unclear instructions, and always the risk of royally screwing it all up. The experiments can end in many ways, and it is never clear what your options even are. This also makes the game very replayable. The more you play, the more you understand, and the clearer the approaches will be. Ontos comes to PS5 in 2027, and you can wishlist it now .

Can open, worms everywhere. Rumours of an upcoming Nintendo Direct are starting to pick up speed, and a new retail listing suggests that a pretty significant Ubisoft game could be heading to Switch 2 very soon. According to a listing from French retailer E. Leclerc , the Switch 2 will be getting an Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced themed 'Advanced Pro Wireless Controller' on 22nd September 2026 . Curious, huh? Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Top Dogma. Patch 3. 2 for Dragon's Dogma 2 released overnight, and it's made huge changes to the open world RPG. The update reworks fundamental bits and pieces of the game, while also improving the user experience in some pretty significant ways. You could argue that it verges on being a kind of re-release. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

People will be able to see exactly how the console and PC stand-alone Another Eden Begins game differs from the mobile JRPG when a demo shows up on September 2, 2026. Wright Flyer Studios said on social media that it will be available on the Switch, Switch 2 , and PC via Steam. The announcement video also confirmed the Steam version comes with a code that can unlock items in the mobile version like the character Ramiu.  The Another Eden Begins demo will be able to be used to get a head start on the full JRPG. It will pick up from the very beginning of the game and let you go through its first six chapters. As you play, you will be able to save your progress. So whether you finish the trial or not, you can carry over what you’ve done and load that file in the full version. As for the Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space bonus, it essentially is a combo of getting access to things from the console game in the mobile JRPG and skipping over parts you may already play in it. One part of it involves a code that lets you skip Part 1 of the story in that original version. That’s because the new console and PC adaptation retells that story. Another involves an item code for Ramiu, the character new to that version, and the new Aldo and Feinne outfits. You also get an item code for three 5-Star Guaranteed 10 Allies Bundle (Begins) as well. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ Here’s the video that goes over all of that: The Another Eden Begins demo launches September 2, 15:00(UTC)! You can even transfer your save data to the full game! Play through the first six chapters of the main story! Check out the final trailer and get hyped for the demo! #AnotherEdenBegins pic.twitter.com/6PTg0HKGs1 — Another Eden Begins – Studio Prisma Official (@StudioPrisma_EN) September 2, 2026 Another Eden Begins will come to the Switch, Switch 2, and PC on September 17, 2026, and the demo for it will launch on digital storefronts on September 2, 2026. Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space is available on PCs and mobile devices.

Resident Evil games over the years have slowly added more fantastical elements to their tale of bioweapons running amok, but for the new live-action movie , director Zach Cregger is dialing back those ideas to a more "grounded" level. Even so, he doesn't think he'd fare very well if he were dropped in that world. "I feel like some of the Resident Evil games get a little magical," Cregger said during a Reddit Ask Me Anything session  (via YouTuber Troy Hill Talks Movies ). "[Resident Evil] 8, we have a woman who can turn into a bird and fly around. And like, I love it. I've played it a bunch of times. I think it's an awesome game, but in terms of me making a movie out of it, it's like I've got to try and limit some of the wild aspects of Resident Evil. And so I chose to stick with the T-Virus, keep it as grounded as possible. So that means I'm not going to have a gigantic jacked dude in a trench coat, because I'm like, where'd the coat come from? How did he get the coat?" https://youtu.be/mNd1gb19A-c Cregger explained that while the Resident Evil games do explain how Mr. X gets his stylish coat, in the world he has constructed for the movie, there's no time for the infected bioweapons to consider zombie apocalypse fashion. "This movie, it's like the outbreak just happened," Cregger added. "I want to keep it chaotic, I want to keep it primal, and I want to just keep it as grounded as I can. The T-Virus causes all kinds of cool, fun mutations. That is enough, so I'm limiting it there." As a co-founder of the comedy troupe The Whitest Kids U' Know, Cregger says that the muscles he developed for creating sketch comedy also helped him zero in on "absurd" opportunities and find the right timing for unexpected results in Resident Evil. As for his chances of surviving his own creation? Cregger doesn't think he'd last too long in his version of Resident Evil. "There's no chance I would survive," Cregger bluntly stated. "I wouldn't have survived the cop car attack because I would have probably just dropped to my knees and just been like, just bite me, just f***ing do it. I can't handle that kind of energy. No, I would die so fast." Resident Evil will be out September 18 in theaters, and the movie is projected to have a big opening weekend in North America. For more on the film, you can also read up on how several of the best Resident Evil games inspired the visuals of the upcoming movie.

Athanasia , the indie horror game that traps you in a mysterious facility full of dinosaurs, is launching in the ideal horror-game window: just before Halloween. GameSpot can exclusively reveal Athanasia's release date; it comes to PC on October 19 via Steam Early Access. In Athanasia, players find themselves trapped in a South American research facility swarmed by dinosaurs that have somehow traveled through time to the present day in the game's story. Though the art style recalls something quite like Dino Crisis, Capcom's long-dormant dino horror series, the specifics of the gameplay are actually more surprising. Influenced by System Shock, the first-person Athanasia also has immersive-sim leanings, as seen in the game's trailer below, where the player can creatively get themselves out of a jam by experimenting with their environment. Of course, if it's really an immersive sim, players will be able to flush the toilets. It's wait-and-see on that one. That's not the only wrinkle, though. Athanasia also teases a different enemy type hidden from all of the game's trailers so far. It seems something worse than dinosaurs is lurking. Athanasia launches on October 19 from Momentum Games, with the horror-focused Black Lantern Collective publishing.

Songs of the Past. Fool's Theory, the development studio that was originally contracted to remake the first Witcher game, has changed trajectory over recent years. While the majority of CD Projekt Red is currently working on The Witcher 4 , Fool's Theory has been pouring its efforts into Songs of the Past — the surprise DLC for The Witcher 3 , which is due out next year. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Ahead of the release of Resident Evil later this month, director Zach Cregger sat down for an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit he answered questions about the movie. While trailers for Resident Evil have teased a few Easter eggs that players of the game will recognize, Cregger also spoke about another game-inspired influence on his horror movie: Resident Evil's third-person viewpoint. "I feel like the biggest inspiration for this was the games, and I mean cinematically," Cregger said during the AMA (via YouTuber Troy Hill Talks Movies ).  "I'm not talking about the content of the movie. I'm talking about the visual language of the movie. I feel like people my age and younger, we grew up with our visual tastes informed just as much by video games as we did by movies. I know as a kid, I played video games probably just as much as I watched movies. There's something that is ingrained now about this third-person camera and this first-person thing where you really are learning the space as the character learns the space, and you feel much more immersed in their perspective because you are. And so, for me to make a movie about Resident Evil where I'm following a character on his foot journey, it's like, obviously, I'm going to employ the visual vocabulary that these games have employed so well." https://youtu.be/SJPu1spHqfk Cregger added that he choreographed scenes to emulate this gameplay approach, so as to "train the viewer" early on as to how they're going to experience the movie and the journey of Bryan, the medical courier played by Austin Abrams . Resident Evil 7 was also influential on the film for how it portrayed a normal person being put through the ringer, Cregger said, but Resident Evil 4 also played a large role in the "rhythm" of the film. "[Resident Evil] 4 has the rhythm that I really like, where you're moving from set piece to set piece, location to location," Cregger explained. "Resident Evil 4 is just such a big game. You go through all these different worlds, from the village to the castle, and to the island. It just kind of keeps giving and giving. I like the idea of kind of borrowing the rhythm and the scale from RE4 and using some of the character elements from RE7." Resident Evil hits theaters on September 18, and Cregger has teased a fast-paced movie full of "f**ked up and weird" imagery for fans to enjoy.

Capcom started sharing new insights into Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance via a new trailer series going over the expansion’s Boosted Actions feature. As part of this, we’ll see a series of videos looking at how this affects individual weapons for the update to the game . The first one so far shows how this could change Great Sword gameplay. The initial Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance Boosted Actions trailer is more of a summary that explains how the feature as a whole works. It establishes that this is tied to Boost Driver attacks that build up your Hunter’s Boost so some actions will be stronger or behave different than usual. Part of this footage involves showing how this can change how things change when it comes to attacking, defending, or even creating a combo. This means it is a more general video that involves footage from different weapons to highlight the new gameplay element over about two minutes. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ The new Monster Hunter Wilds Great Sword footage is more focused and slightly shorter. We only see that one weapon in action. There are no exact moves and adjustments mentioned, but we can see some of the different attacks and combos that come up as a result of building up Boost when in a fight with a foe. We should learn even more about the update later this month. Capcom confirmed Ascendance will be a part of its Tokyo Game Show 2026 plans . In addition to news about it, potentially during its scheduled stream, there will also be a demo for it at the company’s booth. Monster Hunter Wilds is on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC now and will get the Ascendance expansion in 2027. A Switch 2 version of the game is also in development. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

"The push internally was, 'focus on Mansion and forget Pirates.'". There has been no shortage of stories over the years about the development of the first Pirates of the Caribbean film and the lack of confidence in the movie from Disney executives. But perhaps nowhere is this more apparent (to me, at least!) than Disney's reluctance to release a proper video game tie-in for the film. If you were a video game fan in 2003 who had just come home from seeing the film and wanted to experience the swashbuckling story of undead pirates and cursed Aztec gold at home on your platform of choice, then you were bound to be disappointed. That's because the console game was little more than a reskinned version of a pre-existing Russian pirate game with Keira Knightley's voice , while the handheld version from Pocket Studios also seemed to have little to do with the blockbuster film, serving as a prequel and lacking the likeness rights for many of the film's main cast. Read the full article on timeextension.com

The latest UK software sales chart for the week ending August 29, 2026 is now available. A couple of notable games dropped last week with Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 and Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition. Both came out of the gate strong. Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2 debuts at #1 overall. For those wondering, the split... The post UK software sales chart for the week ending August 29, 2026 – Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 2, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition debut appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

This is good, isn't it? Well folks, it was a bit delayed this week, but we finally have the latest data for the UK boxed charts. It's quite an interesting one too, as we have a few new faces joining the ranks. First up, Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition makes its debut at number five; a perfectly fine start for what is technically a Switch 2 exclusive, beating the likes of Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream and Mario Kart World . Read the full article on nintendolife.com

A unique offering from Limited Run. While physical Xbox releases might not be as plentiful as they used to be, we're still getting loads of them on a monthly basis, and the folks over at Limited Run are also trickling out special Xbox versions for all sorts of great games. We're particularly intrigued by their latest announcement today, which is that the classic '90s adventure games Myst and Riven — which have since been re-released and essentially rebuilt for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and other platforms — are getting special "Big Box" releases to emulate the PC versions of old. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Hands-on: Paradox's brick-based spin-off is certainly still packing plenty of detail… Source

Milestone and Mattel have just shared a new trailer for Hot Wheels Infinite Rush, which is set to launch for Nintendo Switch 2 on September 10. The latest footage highlights a new collection of vehicles while also providing a closer look at the game’s track builder mode. This feature will let players create their own Hot Wheels tracks, combining different... The post Hot Wheels Infinite Rush shows track builder mode in new trailer appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

The schedule for the final chapters of The Summer Hikaru Died manga chapters leading up to the end of the series appeared. Mangaka Mokumokuren shared it on the official social media account for the series. Things come to a in October 2026, with the horror manga officially ending on October 20, 2026. Yen Press handles the release of chapters in English as they happen, as well as the physical and digital volumes . The Summer Hikaru Died is a horror and romance manga that balances dealing with an entity that now inhabits the body of a deceased teenager named Hikaru while also being a love story between Yoshiki (who loved and was the best friend of the original Hikaru) and this new individual. There are also other supernatural elements in play, as well as the mystery of what the entity is and otherworldly history of the village where they all live. Chapter 50 will show up on October 13, 2026, and the 51st will appear on October 20, 2026. This means that, when the series ends, it should be 10 volumes long and cover chapters 47-51. The ninth one appeared in Japan back in June 2026 and covered chapters 42-46. The last to appear in the US was volume seven , which split the focus between the current actions of the pairs Yoshiki and Hikaru and Tanaka and Asako .  Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ While the manga is about to end, other adaptations are on-going. There’s the light novel adaptation , which is still running and available worldwide. An audio book is also available. The anime is in the works too, with Netflix streaming it. The Summer Hikaru Died manga will end on October 20, 2026 worldwide and we’ll see the final chapters and volumes in English on and after that date. The second season of the anime is in development, and the first season is on Netflix now. Yen Press handles the series, as well as the audiobook and novelization. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Part of the G-MODE Archives+ series. We've been eating well as far as Ridge Racer on modern-day systems is concerned, with the arcade original and its coin-op-only sequel, Rave Racer , both becoming available fairly recently. Lucky Switch and Steam users are getting another Ridge Racer game, but don't go expecting an arcade-perfect experience here. Read the full article on timeextension.com

Last month was filled with superhero spectacles, bonding with friends, and a few heavy hitters! Some big new releases included MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls, Big Walk, Beast of Reincarnation, and Madden NFL 27. Which game was your favorite? How does it work? At the end of every month, PlayStation Blog will open a poll where you can vote for the best new game released that month. After the polls we will tally your votes, and announce the winner on our social channels and PlayStation. Blog. What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake. How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll. View Poll

Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game has revealed a new update, which comes in the form of version 2. 5. Nintendo Switch players should see it soon. One of the major highlights of the update is the introduction of a Ranked Mode. Players earn/lose rank standing, and opponents can see your rank badge.  There are other elements to the patch, including Ragequit... The post Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game 2. 5 update announced, patch notes – Ranked Mode, ragequit jail, more appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

The My Arcade Gamestation Retro Pro was first announced a year ago. With CES in full swing, one of the big topics of conversation relates to the Nintendo Switch 2 , a product which most people seem to be familiar with but hasn't actually been officially shown off yet. Read the full article on timeextension.com

GTA 6 's Jason and Lucia can be romantically involved , or they can just be partners in crime. If you're not interested in the game's romance system, don't use it, Rockstar's Rob Nelson said in a new interview. "I have to say it feels great--if you are into it as a concept. Don’t bother with it if you aren’t. Up to you," Nelson told IGN . Players who do wish to grow and nurture a romantic relationship between Jason and Lucia can hold hands, visit a zoo together, or enjoy a romantic stroll on the beach, Nelson said. If players don’t want to do those things, they don’t have to, but Nelson said players might miss out on other things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0 "I don’t want to say too much more about this because I don’t want to spoil anything. It really adds a compelling element to things, and it’s one of the reasons we wanted to approach this sort of story, because it's completely different for us," Nelson said. "Could we bring some sort of emotional resonance to GTA for people if they wanted to engage with it? Could we also provide mechanisms for people to just opt out of it if they're not into it? If they feel like, ‘I don't want a relationship in this?’ That's what we're going to find out. It's not something that we want to foist upon players." Nelson said players might grow to "feel protective of [Jason and Lucia] as a unit" as they progress through the game, and the developers at Rockstar didn't originally envision this. "This is something we did not know when we started, and it really had to be something we felt our way through. But I will say that whether you’re getting in trouble, or you’re running from the cops, or getting in a car, or waiting for the other one--playing as them together feels very cool. It feels like you’re taking care of them, if that’s something you’re into," he said.

Jason and Lucia in GTA 6. Players will need to manage the relationship by responding to texts and, like in any good relationship, making an effort. “It’s new for GTA, this idea of your actions having meaning in terms of how you treat your partner or  how violent you are ,” Nelson said in another interview. Nelson went on to say GTA 6’s story will take cues from “that Bonnie and Clyde concept.” He added, “We knew it was the only way for us to go with this game.” Bonnie and Clyde were famous American outlaws  from the early 1900s who committed many crimes, including murder. They were lovers, and they were eventually killed by the police in 1934 in Louisiana. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. We learned a lot more about the game today, including how  the map is 3X bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s  and that  a playthrough can be 80 hours long . The game also brings back  six-star wanted levels , and that  you can pet the dog .

Overcome Blood of Dawnwalker's early combat challenges with these essential tips… Source

Microsoft is likely to show up. Xbox fans have a fair share of showcases to watch out for throughout September. From Sony's State of Play to the Tokyo Game Show , there's plenty of opportunity for new trailers, reveals, announcements, deep dives, and a bunch of other bits and bobs. Following Xbox's big Gamescom presence last month, we reckon September could still prove to be an interesting month for Microsoft. In this article, we've picked out seven showcases that should to be on your radar as an Xbox fan. Whilst many aren't specifically Xbox-centric, these showcases will give us a closer look at a bunch of upcoming Xbox games. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Cozy and relaxing tile puzzle game Fangtopia will launch for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, and … Source

We have an interesting tidbit about Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty Complete Edition, and we can confirm that graphics settings are included on Nintendo Switch 2, which includes frame rate and resolution modes. We’ve been playing the new port and noticed the options in the settings menu. As of now we don’t believe Koei Tecmo mentioned this previously. Players can either... The post Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty has frame rate and resolution modes on Nintendo Switch 2 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Courtesy of Secret Mode and Absolutely Games, we now have the release date for Fangtopia. It’s heading to Nintendo Switch 2 on October 26, 2026. Fangtopia, a tile puzzle game, was first made known for Nintendo Switch 2 earlier in the summer. The team previously committed to having the title out by Halloween. Those that need a refresher on the... The post Fangtopia secures Nintendo Switch 2 release date, new trailer appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

GIRLS’ FRONTLINE 2: EXILIUM, the latest entry in the long-running Girls’ Frontline series, is a … Source

Mayla has revealed that it will produce and sell the blouse themed after 2B from the NieR Automata Ver 1. 1a anime adaptation. It will open the pre-order window for the new blouses for around a month, starting on September 4, 2026. [Thanks, Famitsu !] The blouse will be available in two different colors: Cruel Black and Virtuous White. Each item will be available separately at ¥19,800 (~$123. 85) apiece. Mayla has also indicated that it will accept orders made from outside Japan via the WorldShopping widget. It also added that it will accept credit card payments for international orders, and it will only trigger the payments after it has determined the shipping costs for each order. Here are the sample images teasing how the NieR Automata 2B blouse will look in both color variations:

Images via Mayla This is not the first time Mayla has produced items themed after NieR Automata . The brand had previously released shoes themed after 2B, which are still available to order internationally via WorldShopping as of early September 2026. Mayla had also made items based on Kingdom Hearts , as well as manga and anime franchises like Cardcaptor Sakura , Demon Slayer , and Attack on Titan . The pre-order window for the NieR Automata Ver 1. 1a 2B blouse will open from September 4 to October 5, 2026.

Free money? A class-action lawsuit against Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) has resulted in a potential payout of $7. 85 million, which will be passed onto PS5 customers if it goes ahead. The case is about the PS Store being the only way you can purchase digital games for PS5, as Sony shut off the ability to get digital vouchers for PlayStation software at alternative retailers. This forces anybody who wants to buy a game digitally through the PS Store directly. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Misty-eyed. Y'know, given the fact that the first Pokémon movie was quite literally called Pokémon: The First Movie , we perhaps should have known that more would be on the way. But there are 24 now. 24 . With a 25th on the way very soon, in fact. And so if you fancy playing catch up and have a spare $400 lying around, Amazon US has a rather fetching new blu-ray collection up for grabs. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Kingdom Come developer Warhorse is working on multiple new games, including a The Lord of the Rings role-playing game . We don't know much about it right now, and Warhorse isn't likely to share more details anytime soon. In a post on social media , Warhorse said, "We're excited to tell you guys more, you've just gotta be patient for now." In short, you should be more like an Ent and slow down. Good things come to those who wait, after all. Warhorse announced the game earlier this year, saying it will be a "deeply immersive" open-world Middle-earth RPG.

A scene from 2002's The Two Towers. The game will feature a “living world” populated by “interesting characters, memorable places, and, of course, a strong narrative focus," the developers said. This doesn't tell us much about it, but it’s a starting point for understanding where the game may be headed. We also know that Deliverance 2 design director Viktor Bocan is leading the development of the untitled Lord of the Rings game. In addition to the new Lord of the Rings game, Warhorse is producing a new Kingdom Come game , along with a Kingdom Come movie . As for the Lord of the Rings game series, Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics is said to be working on its own game as well . Both Crystal Dynamics and Warhorse are owned by Embracer, which controls the rights to The Lord of the Rings. Beyond these games, Aspyr Media has teased more re-releases of classic The Lord of the Rings games following the shadow-drop of War in the North . The Lord of the Rings series remains popular outside of games, too. Prime Video’s The Rings of Power series returns for a third season this November and Andy Serkis is directing The Hunt for Gollum, which will be out in 2027.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is looking to add some extra wrinkles to several of its established gameplay pillars, but the biggest update here might just be the inclusion of an honor system. Taking a page from Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 6 will remind you that actions have consequences, as your less-than-legal activities will feed into a criminal profile that evolves with you. Not only are there various profiles within this that gauge just how effective you are at crime--or bloodthirsty--but developer Rockstar Games will let you break it entirely if you cause too much chaos. "There's no right or wrong way to play the game," GTA 6 co-head of development Rob Nelson said to YouTuber TGG. "Just a bit more choice now. How do you want to play this game if your actions may have some impact on things? You can still cause as much chaos as you want if that's what you want to do. I don't think it changes what GTA is. It changes what it can be for people who want to engage with it in that way. You still have as much freedom as you had before; you can just do more now, and you have more choice in terms of how you approach situations." https://youtu.be/33t4kUEBL5k At the highest level, players can have a criminal record that labels them as a "Professional," and from there, the states descend into Aggressive, Violent, and Psycho. Reaching the fifth, currently unnamed state, is said to be particularly tough, but once you do, there's no return from a full descent into villainy. The idea is that players will have the freedom to alternate between criminal profiles or replay the game while aiming to align with those particular states. Players can also disable notifications about their profile status changing, and the co-protagonists Jason and Lucia will each have their own profile that changes throughout the course of the game depending on the actions you take with them. How these states ultimately influence the story of GTA 6 has yet to be revealed, but we'd wager that being a homicidal loose cannon probably won't end well by the time that the end credits roll. GTA 6 will include several other features designed to heighten the game's sense of realism. Non-playable characters will notice if you're carrying weapons out in public , cars require more finesse to steal , and yes, you can throw dog poop at people. At the same time, Rockstar has also removed one of the worst legacy features from GTA 6, as you'll no longer need to wear your thumb out when you're outrunning cops by mashing a single button . GTA 6: 268 Screenshots To Ease The Wait

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ATLUS has launched pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 version of their fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio. The company also debuted a character trailer series, with the protagonist being the first featured in the series in the video shared above. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, players must rise above fear as they enter a vast fantasy world fraught with unsettling mystery. Thrust into a kingdom on the precipice of ruin, players must overcome obstacles and forge bonds... Click to expand... Read more

Mini Massacres and Micro Motors. Nintendo has revealed three new releases joining the Nintendo Classics range today. Ikari Warriors , R. C. Pro-AM II , and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom will be available to download for all Nintendo Switch Online subscribers. Developed by SNK and released in 1986, Ikari Warriors is a vertically scrolling shooter inspired by the Sylvester Stallone smash hit Rambo: First Blood Part II . One or two players control jacked-up mercenaries Ralf and Clark (later of King of Fighters fame) as they pick their way through the jungles of the titular 'Ikari' on a mission to rescue a captured army commander. Eventually ported to myriad home platforms, the NES release of Ikari Warriors is notoriously tough - no thanks to its clunky controls and sluggish pacing. Read the full article on timeextension.com

TR Fight Stick has just uploaded a video showing how to use the advanced features of their Kraken spinner controller. It’s fully compatible with original arcade hardware such as CPS1 and they even offer a panel compatible with many different types of Candy Cabs. But when paired with their Octopus Fight Stick, you get a […] The post Kraken Spinner (Octopus Fight Stick) first appeared on RetroRGB .

CD Projekt joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski is "not worried" about the future of consoles, despite rising costs that could impact growth in the sector . Speaking to The Game Business , Nowakowski said consoles continue to be "necessary to broaden the audience" for casual and semi-casual players. "It’s important to have easy to plug in and enjoy gaming," he said. He said consoles will "weather the storm" they are currently facing today, including pricing. Nowakowski also said he's heard the rumors that the PS6 and next Xbox could be delayed, but he said, "I don't know if they're true."

A scene from The Witcher 4. Generally speaking, Nowakowski said CD Projekt doesn't spend too much time worrying about how the company reaches people. "Content is the king. And if the content is right, people will find a way to play it," the executive said. The developers at CD Projekt would ask for "as much power" as possible to help display games in the best possible light. However, Nowakowski said the developers at CD Projekt are "realistic," too, so if next-gen consoles get delayed, some ideas that would require new, more powerful hardware might get "put on a shelf for the future." "We’d have to adjust. We’re not worried on the commercial side. Consoles are here to stay," he said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FatSqS3VYY&t=19s CD Projekt has multiple games in the works that are likely planned for new consoles, as The Witcher 4 is lined up for release in 2028, with Cyberpunk 2 likely coming sometime after. Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have raised hardware prices due to global market factors, including tariffs and the AI-fueled demand for components and memory. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma recently said it's "wonderful" that GPUs have use cases outside of gaming , even if it means that Xbox consoles are now more expensive than ever. Nintendo, for its part, has received refunds for President Trump's tariffs--which were deemed illegal--but said it has no legal requirement to pass along any money to consumers who paid more. Sony, meanwhile, has received gigantic tariff refunds as well, with no plans to pass anything along . There are rumors that the next wave of new consoles could cost $1,000 or more, and that could have a dramatic, negative effect on the market overall .

Arabian-inspired underwater adventure game Port of Jumanah will launch for PlayStation 5 and PC via … Source

Sony's decision to kill off PlayStation game discs has been met with almost universal disdain since it was first announced, and it looks like its employees have been caught in the crossfire. Just about every Sony announcement or social media post is met with calls for it to reverse its decision, and Sony Japan has instituted a new anti-harassment policy to protect the customer service employees who have had to deal with a vocal contingent of dissatisfied consumers. These changes also align with new workplace laws in Japan that will take effect later this year. "Similar to other companies in Japan, Sony Interactive Entertainment has published its policy in compliance with a new law taking effect on October 1, which requires employers in Japan to implement measures to address customer harassment," Sony said in response to GameSpot. According to the policy , Sony will restrict people who "exceed what is considered reasonable" when interacting with customer service, including "unreasonable demands" for compensation or apologies. Abusive language, threats, and "forcing someone to prostrate themselves" can also get you cut off from the help desk, as will visiting offices or related facilities without permission. Sony added that it will work with the police and lawyers, if necessary, to protect its employees. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FatSqS3VYY&t=19s&pp=0gcJCRoMAYcqIYzv While customer service workers are currently dealing with backlash over Sony's decision to focus on an all-digital future, the company has also been criticized for several more recent actions. Sony responded to a class action lawsuit in which it was accused of not clearly informing consumers that its digital store sells game licenses, not full games. Various publishers have also accused Sony of anti-competitive moves and of working toward creating a monopoly through its digital storefront. Sony will pay out nearly $8 million to PlayStation customers as part of a settlement over digital game prices. Even with all of that bad press, the company is still moving "cautiously forward" with its plan to end game disc production, as no amount of negative comments or week-long boycotts has convinced Sony to change its mind. Expect a flood of comments highlighting this during this week's back-to-back State of Play livestreams .

"We couldn't sign you in to Xbox Live". If you're struggling to log into Xbox Live right now, you're not alone! We've noticed hundreds of reports over the past hour (since 1pm BST) mentioning that it's been impossible to sign into the Xbox servers. We've encountered the error here at Pure Xbox as well, specifically on the Xbox PC app when trying to load up a game while connected to the internet. This simply prompts an error message that says "we couldn't sign you in to Xbox Live", and then suggests trying again in a while. Read the full article on purexbox.com

"I get how the user feels". I absolutely adore Kaneko's Aero Blasters / Air Buster . Released in arcades in 1990, I first saw it in a local public house and instantly fell in love with the bright, anime-style visuals and intense shmup action. When I discovered it had been ported to the Mega Drive / Genesis a year later, I had to pick up a copy – and it didn't disappoint, supplying a faithful reproduction of the original coin-op, despite running on weaker hardware ( long-standing readers of this site will have to forgive me for repeating myself here ). Read the full article on timeextension.com

Will you parry me. Developer Insomniac Games has revealed a partial Trophy list for its imminent PS5 exclusive, Marvel's Wolverine . On X, the studio goes through a number of the superhero action game's non-spoiler Trophies, giving you an idea of what will be required if you plan to get that shiny platinum. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Five difficulty levels confirmed. As we wait for ' Fable February' to come about, we've been kicking back and enjoying all the lovely gameplay coverage out of Gamescom. From that, we've gleaned that the game will launch with five different difficulty levels, alongside a whole bunch of customisation options to boot. Read the full article on purexbox.com

When Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia launched in 2020 , I’ll admit: I was excited to see the franchise return after decades, but figured it was a one-off. But hey, we’re happy to be wrong here at Siliconera! That game had some promise, but it needed more development time and a visual overhaul. (Oh, and some replayability.) So does Brigandine Abyss deliver? For Brigandine newcomers, which we’d imagine is a lot of people: it’s a hex-based strategy game, with overworld base management and a set map. The style is JRPG-adjacent, but the mechanics only occasionally touch on familiar ground there. Units level up and have equipment and MP for spells. It’s closer to Heroes of Might & Magic than Final Fantasy , but compared to that game, the overworld is simplified and the combat maps are larger. Brigandine has always been about not just the fight, but also deciding when and how the fight will take place. Abyss is no different! There are generally multiple turns before you make combat with your opponent, which can be tedious when all you’re doing is dashing straight ahead. Thankfully, the maps in this game offer more to consider in this phase. We’ll generally scout the battlefield, seeing which of the three enemy leaders is easiest to take out. (That’s because each leader carries a batch of units, and those units go away when the leader does.) Then, it’s about finding the route to that leader with the most cover or best choke point. We recommend using the ninja class’ “Position-Swapping Jutsu” or the octopus unit line’s pull attack to get the leader into a vulnerable position, and the phoenix units to bypass the enemy’s defensive lines and inflict flanking debuffs. But there are other options!

Image via Happinet and NIS America Runersia ’s biggest weakness was in its monotony. Battle maps were largely featureless, and what you did each play was mostly the same. Abyss tackles this problem on multiple fronts. Maps now have meaningful elevation, barrier and water features, usually giving the advantage to the defender. They’ll also mesh well with the units available in that base. For example, not only is the dragon home a chasm that’s tough to traverse for non-fliers, but also the holder of the base can upgrade to give dragon-related buffs. On a larger scale, you don’t have to just play the same campaign over and over. There’s still a Story Mode, with a small selection of factions to choose to take out the big bad and save the world. (If you’re a narrative-first player, we honestly can’t endorse this; the writing is vapid and the characters are one-note. The cutscenes are also distractingly cheap.) But Mission Mode adds a bit of variety. There’s one for each faction. Pick the mage school? Your goal isn’t to conquer all, it’s to add 50 magic user leaders in your team. Or maybe your leader’s in debt to the shopkeep and has to pawn a lot. In addition to different strategies, this also lets you have a shorter play, a much-needed thing when the full campaign is multiple dozens of hours. Visually, we’d say Brigandine Abyss is an upgrade, but there’s room to improve. It certainly feels like someone involved had the thought that making the game look 20 percent more like Fire Emblem would lead to more giving it a try. The main character designer is Niji Hayashi, who’s done a lot of work on Fire Emblem Heroes , and when you look at some of the art, that influence is abundantly clear. There’s not-Sothe, not-Cordelia, even not-Shigure and not-Laurent. Generic units also look a lot like FEH ’s generics. Outside of character art, there’s also a Fire Emblem touch to the level-up screen (which takes way too long given the number of units you have) and the cut-in animation for critical hits.

Image via Happinet and NIS America Technically, though, it feels like it needed more time. The map graphics feel really crunchy and aliased. The end of your turn is a one-second pause and then a cut to black with no animation. Menus don’t for ten seconds while the game plays an audio clip of the shopkeeper over a static PNG. We tested the Switch 2 version and were curious about mouse support, but this game’s mouse sensitivity is so low that it’s unusable. It’s a lot better than the last game, with its muddy textures and drab environments, and the “generic anime” coat of paint improves on that. Brigandine Abyss is out now for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series and PC. It’s developed by Adglobe and published by Happinet and NIS America.

The easiest way to free and escort Mert for the Under Watchful Eyes quest in Blood of Dawnwalker Source

We investigate the origins of the mysterious console. If you were an avid fan of the UK video game show Bad Influence! in the early '90s , it's possible you may have memories of seeing a bizarre Sega Mega Drive clone that was featured on the programme, called the Scorpion XVI. Released at some point in 1994, the console was famously or infamously (depending on your point of view) featured on Series 3, episode 13 of the CITV programme, which originally aired in December of the same year, with the show's host Andy Crane demonstrating the unofficial hardware to camera as part of its own special segment. Read the full article on timeextension.com

Now you press L3 to run. Most of the games Rockstar creates are considered masterpieces, but if there are any criticisms, it's not long before the controls are brought up. The most notorious example is the demand to constantly press the X button to sprint. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

It would need to be frugally developed and use its open world well… Source

After more than a year, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has gotten a fresh update with a focus on the Switch 2, and it's surprisingly meaty. For those Switch 2 players, they'll be looking at higher resolution output on both the TV and Switch 2 display, shorter loading times, support for up to eight players in local multiplayer, and even support for USB cameras when playing online. It's worth noting that camera support is limited to GameChat though.

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Square Enix today provided details about the end of the free subscription period for Final Fantasy 14 on Nintendo Switch 2 and what comes next. This will begin on September 7, 2026. Note that players will now be able to take advantage of a 30-day free play period for those that buy the Starter Edition or Complete Edition. Once that... The post Final Fantasy 14 details end of free subscription period on Nintendo Switch 2, more on fees appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Enter the Nexus. The first thing I thought to myself when I picked up the Evercade Nexus for the first time was that it's nowhere near as big as I expected it to be. When Blaze announced its new handheld earlier in the year , the promotional images had me assuming it would be a Switch 2-sized monster of a portable, but, in reality, it's closer in size to the Switch Lite – and in my eyes, that's a massive positive. Read the full article on timeextension.com

Guess I'll see you in the movies. I was incredibly excited when I got the invite to play Stuntman: Hollywood at Gamescom this year. Announced at a State of Play a few months back, this revived franchise promises chaotic film-stunt-inspired action across some of the largest franchises in Universal’s catalogue. It feels like a throwback to a bygone era of gaming tie-ins, and I was glad to see that impression was very much alive and drifting across the four levels I got to play. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Talk about a stretch goal. Former Xbox studio Double Fine is in the midst of embracing the independent life again after leaving Microsoft over the past couple of months, and they've recently thrown up a new Kickstarter project called "AMNESIA FORTNIGHT" that serves as a game jam where people can vote on the ideas they want to see become a reality. The fundraiser itself has almost already reached its goal of £296,238 with another month still to go, so it's certainly proven a success. However, the "Stretch Goals" section is getting a lot of attention as well, which mentions that they'll make Brütal Legend 2 if they can fundraise the seemingly impossible amount of $100 million USD. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Giga Chadley. I think Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth introduce some characters of a very questionable quality, but Chadley's probably the worst of the lot. The annoying robot boy completely outstayed his welcome in Rebirth, where he would constantly offer unneeded guidance as you traversed the game's more open areas. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Making Port just announced a new Nintendo Switch 2 version of Darkania Works’ noir psychological thriller, and it’s coming out very soon. Look for it on September 10, 2026. What Have You Done Father will “deliver 2K resolution and a higher frame rate, bringing the handheld version closer to the image quality of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S... The post What Have You Done Father incoming for Nintendo Switch 2 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Hamster is rolling out another Console Archives game on Nintendo Switch 2 this week, with the company announcing The Conveni 2. It arrives tomorrow, September 3. The game, Human’s management sim sequel, initially released in 1997. Note that English will only be supported with the options and manuals – everything else is in Japanese. Here’s some additional information: The Conveni... The post The Conveni 2 is this week’s Console Archives game on Nintendo Switch 2 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

It's also racked up millions more views on YouTube… Source

It's now live for another two Insider tiers. There's obviously a lot of excitement floating around about the new Xbox Disc to Digital feature this week, and the good news is that it's already being extended to more people as part of the Xbox Insider program. Following its initial rollout for the Alpha, Alpha Skip-Ahead and Beta rings, Disc to Digital is also now available for most people in the Delta and Omega rings, although people who signed up in recent days may not be included. This means that the feature is now technically available for every Xbox Insider ring, which means it should be releasing to everyone in the near future. Assuming there are no major bugs that are discovered with it, we could be looking at a matter of days/weeks before it gets a full public release, rather than months. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Be wary of Gacha mechanics... Square Enix has opened up pre-orders for a delightful and thoroughly unnecessary set of Final Fantasy Mini Melody TVs (or "MMTs"). The cute nostalgia tweakers are available exclusively through the Japanese Square Enix store , ahead of their 2027 release. Before you hit that pre-order button, however, read on... Read the full article on timeextension.com

Following a report that Square Enix was potentially exploring going private, the company behind hit franchises like Final Fantasy has released a statement denying the claims. Japanese business magazine Sentaku originally reported that Square Enix was exploring this possibility and that foreign investment funds were rumored to be interested in a deal, which saw Square Enix's stock rise by 7%. "The September issue of the monthly magazine Sentaku carried a report regarding the possibility of Square Enix. (the Company) going private," Square Enix wrote in a press release. "However, this information was not announced by the Company. No consideration is currently being given within the Company to taking the Company private." Even if Square Enix were to change its mind, buying back all shares wouldn't be cheap. Depending on daily stock fluctuations on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Square Enix has a Market Capitalization of roughly $6. 67 billion to $6. 82 billion. While that's pretty big, Square Enix still pales in comparison to the market valuations of its fellow Japanese gaming giants, Nintendo ($64 billion) and Capcom ($11. 33 billion). Where the company stands out is that it has a stable revenue base, and recent financial overhauls have improved its capital efficiency. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3NrZKxdh6Q Square Enix is also more than just a video game developer and publisher, as it also publishes manga magazines and graphic novels under its Gangan Comics imprint, operates arcade franchises under the Taito Corporation banner, and it has a massive merchandising arm. Looking ahead, Square Enix has plenty of games in the pipeline, including the upcoming releases of Final Fantasy Resonance and Final Fantasy 7 Revelation . That would make it a lucrative prospect for an offer to go private, as seen in the case of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund--alongside Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner’s private equity firm Affinity Partners and investment company Silver Lake--taking ownership of Electronic Arts last month , concluding a $55 billion deal. Unfortunately, this takeover has left EA saddled with billions in debt , and it's feared that mass layoffs will follow as the company aims to cut costs.

Console Archives The Conveni 2 will launch for PlayStation 5 and Switch 2 on September … Source

The 20-minute playable demo is powered by Amazon's GameLift streaming service… Source

Fine selection of wares. It's another glorious day, which brings with it a bunch of fresh new titles and, of course, the latest addition to September's Xbox Game Pass lineup. We've got nine new games launching today, and we're most interested in Moonlighter 2 's version 1. 0 release onto Xbox Series X|S and Game Pass. The merchant-themed dungeon crawler enjoyed a stint of Early Access on PC Game Pass, and is making its console debut to some fairly decent review scores . Read the full article on purexbox.com

The 1987 arcade classic arrives for Arcade Archives & Arcade Archives 2. Taito's 1987 arcade sequel, Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh , is getting a standalone release on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S later this week, courtesy of the Arcade Archives' creator, Hamster. So if you don't already own the Egret II Mini version of the game (included with the paddle and trackball controller) or simply want to pick it up again on your modern platform of choice, now seems like as good a time as any to get stuck into the block-breaking sequel. Read the full article on timeextension.com

"My AC!". Rockstar Games made the unusual move to debut an extended look at GTA 6 on Netflix last week. While the video made its way onto YouTube and other sources eventually, the subscription service had dibs for six hours, and it seems that's paid off quite nicely. Netflix's weekly top 10 charts show that the GTA 6 video was its most-watched title globally by some distance; it accrued 31. 1 million views between 27th and 30th August. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Arcade Archives 2 Wiz will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2, and … Source

Ninja Gaiden 3, Ikari Warriors and RC Pro-Am 2 join the Nintendo Classics service… Source

The Roundup is available as a video and on all audio-only podcast services, such as iTunes, Google, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music and direct-download: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/retrorgb If you enjoy these videos, please consider supporting this channel via monthly support services, tips, or even just by using our affiliate links to purchase things you were already going to buy […] The post Weekly Roundup #529 first appeared on RetroRGB .

You can also "play" it. Paramount Pictures and Legendary have released a new trailer for Street Fighter , the latest attempt to adapt the iconic fighting series into a movie. Street Fighter movies don't have the best reputation, largely thanks to the astoundingly awful Legend of Chun-Li in 2009. But we've gotta be honest: this one looks so damn good. It's clearly leaning into the absurdity of the game series, with faithful recreations of characters, clothing, moves, and more. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Hamster just announced that they’ll be releasing Arkanoid Revenge of Doh through the Arcade Archives line of games. The game should be out tomorrow, September 3, 2026. Arkanoid Revenge of Doh is the 1987 sequel to Arkanoid. It follows the same outline as the first Arkanoid, being a brick breaker. Here’s the official overview “ARKANOID REVENGE OF DOH” is a... The post Arkanoid Revenge of Doh is this week’s Arcade Archive game on Nintendo Switch 2, and Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Sharper visuals, camera support, fast loading and a new VS marathon have also been added… Source

Arcade Archives 2 Arkanoid: Revenge of Doh will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and … Source

"That’s why we had Mr Motivator on GamesMaster". Fresh on the heels of the announcement that Dominik Diamond is holding a special event featuring songs based on famous video games , the former GamesMaster host has been revealed as one of the many star attendees at this year's PLAY Expo in Blackpool , UK. "He’ll be taking to the stage for a talk followed by a Q&A, before heading over to the meet & greet area, so if you’ve got an old GamesMaster magazine, book, or piece of gaming history you’ve been waiting to get signed, this is your chance," says the official PLAY Expo site . Read the full article on timeextension.com

Capcom has released a new trailer for Monster Hunter Wilds major expansion “Ascendance” introducing the … Source

It's also opened a new social account. We're just weeks out from the release of Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave , and the game's developer Intelligent Systems is officially gearing up for the big release. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

G-MODE will release the feature phone version of Ridge Racer as a G-MODE Archives+ title, the … Source

PLAYISM will host the “PLAYISM Game Show: Tokyo Game Show 2026 Preview” live stream on … Source

Japan's Famicom library also got an update. Switch Online's NES Classics library has today added three more titles as part of the September 2026 games update. This latest batch of titles includes Tecmo's 1991 platformer Ninja Gaiden III , Rare's 1992 racing game R. C. Pro-AM II and the 1986 SNK run and gun, Ikari Warriors . Here is the official description for each title and you see them in motion in the trailer above. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Nintendo has released the version 4. 0. 0 update for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which adds Switch … Source

A free Switch 2 update is now available. It seems Nintendo isn't done with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just yet! The new patch today, bumping the title up to Version 4. 0. 0, includes a free Switch 2 update. This includes support for the Switch 2's display, reduces load times, adds support for 5-8 players in multiplayer, and adds CameraPlay support. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

A massive update has just been released for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with version 4. 0. 0. If you’re just skimming through, you might have expected Mario Kart World as the game getting the update. However, this is indeed for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There’s a lot here if you’re a Nintendo Switch 2 player. Nintendo is offering higher resolution on the... The post Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 4. 0. 0 update out now, patch notes – Nintendo Switch 2 improvements and features, more appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

The Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics app has added Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient … Source

Three more classic games have just arrived on Nintendo Switch Online with Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom, Ikari Warriors, and R. C. Pro-Am 2. These three games represent the NES. Each one is live on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch with a standard Nintendo Switch Online membership – no Expansion Pack tier required. Here’s some information about... The post Nintendo Switch Online adds Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom, Ikari Warriors, R. C. Pro-Am 2 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Capcom has released a four-minute gameplay overview trailer for Dragon’s Dogma II: Dark Arisen. “Venture … Source

Arise, Arisen. As Capcom promised, the biggest ever update for Dragon's Dogma 2 is available to download now on PS5. And when I write 'biggest', I don't just mean that it's packing the most improvements; this thing is 48GB in terms of file size. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

The Hambagu Shop is in the works for Nintendo Switch, Serafini Productions and Mike Ten have announced. Launch timing will be shared at a later date. The Hambagu Shop is a cozy horror simulator, which takes place in a Japanese hamburg steak shop. The experience involves cooking hamburg, serving customers, and upgrading your shop for more menu items. Further details... The post The Hambagu Shop, a cozy horror sim, announced for Nintendo Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

And no physical discs, of course. It’s been rumoured for quite some time, but here’s your first look at the official LEGO PS1 set, as spotted in-store by a Brick Tap News member. It’s due out on 1st October. The build consists of 1,911 pieces and will retail for a reasonable $160, which is pretty affordable for LEGO sets these days as far as I can see. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Sony is set to pay out nearly $8 million to PlayStation customers as part of a settlement regarding digital game prices. The settlement ( via IGN ) comes after Sony's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was denied, and settlement class members across a more-than-four-year period are potentially eligible for a payment. The lawsuit, originally filed back in 2024 , alleged that Sony established a monopoly over PlayStation Store prices by making publishers "cede control over the final price to Sony" and that Sony "eliminated the last vestiges of price competition when it stopped allowing outside retailers to sell digital download codes that could be redeemed on the PlayStation Store." Sony is not agreeing to wrongdoing as part of the settlement, and will be avoiding a civil trial if the terms are agreed upon by the court. Once that happens, the claims against Sony will be dismissed "with prejudice," meaning another lawsuit on the subject cannot be filed. You are potentially eligible for a payout if you purchased one of the affected games via the PlayStation Store between April 1, 2019 and December 31, 2023. Dozens of games are listed in the official court documents, including Nier: Automata, Resident Evil 4, The Last of Us Remastered, and Vita games like Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Killzone: Mercenary.

Dotemu is currently hosting a small but sweet sale for both Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch via the eShop which we wanted to give folks a heads up on. While the discounts are limited, some big games are included here. Street Fighter 6, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge are among the titles that have reached... The post Dotemu Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch sale live with Streets of Rage 4, Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and more at new low prices appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

You read the headline right. There’s a new trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter movie which gives us our best look at the flick yet. But the coolest part of all is that you can actually play it. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Early in the production of Marvel’s Wolverine Insomniac Games sent team members to Japan as part of a broader series of location-scanning trips. These trips involved sending our scanning team to various places around the world to record real-world assets, examine natural environments, and acquire an understanding of the real and fictional locations based on real-world biomes and cultures. This article concentrates on the most ambitious and satisfying scanning missions the team has carried out so far.

Japan scanning team left to right: Jonnathan Mercado, Christen Borras Alicea, Niina Taniguchi, Reiko Sekine, Chris Devens, Nathaniel Bell.

Planning the route A successful scanning trip starts long before anybody has gotten on a plane. There had been months of virtual location scouting and route planning, with huge help from our Sony Interactive Entertainment teams in Japan. The Marvel’s Wolverine environment team blocked out levels and put together detailed requests for assets and biomes. So, our task was to create a route that would give us tons of variety, capturing as many requests as possible within the limited time available.

Tokyo to Joetsu to Tsumago-Juku/Magome-Juku to Kyoto and back to Tokyo.

On previous trips, we usually tried to minimize travel between scanning locations. Less travel means more time to scan, more time to back up data, and fewer chances for something to go wrong. Our plan for Japan was different. The environments we wanted to capture were spread across several distinct regions, so we committed more in-trip travel than we had ever attempted before. We spent hours traveling down Japanese highways, playing “I spy,” debating whether hexagons are truly the best-a-gons, and buying mysterious drinks from roadside vending machines with very little questioning.

Why scan in Japan? For a game like Marvel’s Wolverine, authenticity is built on many layers. High-resolution scans help capture the physical truth of a place: rock, bark, pavement, moss, metal, signage, soil, and all the small imperfections that make environments feel believable.

Scanning architecture to create modular art asset kits.

But the value of a trip like this goes beyond the scan data. Being in Japan allowed the team to observe how structures are designed and constructed, how materials have weathered, and how local cultural details appear in the environment. Even when a location in the game is fictional, firsthand research gives artists a stronger foundation to build from. Location scanning helps us create places that feel grounded and thoughtfully inspired rather than worlds pieced together from generic library assets.

Multiple biomes, one trip Over the course of the trip, the team captured assets across several dramatically different biomes. We moved from the mountainous, snow-covered regions in the east to an underground train station; and from bamboo forests to sunbaked city streets, and to remote side-of-the-road temples. Each location presented its own challenges and opportunities.

A Japanese wall transformed into a reusable scanned asset kit.

In the mountains, we focused on natural surfaces and cold-weather details: snow, stone, bark, ground cover, and the way winter conditions affect materials. In the bamboo forests, we captured vegetation, organic layering, and the unique density and rhythm of the landscape. Urban locations gave us access to pavement, walls, street-level details, public infrastructure, and the subtle signs of wear that make a city feel lived-in. Underground transit spaces offered a different kind of reference, with distinct materials and architectural patterns.

Scanning a unique underground station to create authentic transit-themed game assets, capturing the area-specific surfaces, transitions, and details that make the location feel real..

Scanning temple details to build authentic game-ready environment assets.

Along with scanning assets, we also captured a ton of photo references of the area’s shape language, texture, and scale.

A unique bamboo gutter system captured on location, highlighting the culture-specific construction details we traveled to document for authentic environment creation.

Trip stats

Unloading gear in a remote landscape before a long day of scanning, capturing the unique environments and details that bring authentic locations to life.

By the end of the Japan trip, the team had captured an enormous amount of material: Over 600 scans across 4 biomes More than 100 miles walked, often carrying around 20 pounds of scanning gear 5. 6 TB of captured data 189,589 photos taken, not including additional reference photography Locations ranging from snow-covered mountains to underground train stations, bamboo forests, and hot city streets 3 broken pieces of gear: 2 cables and 1 plastic case 1 shattered phone glass back

Bringing the work back home The trip to Japan gave us assets and references that couldn’t be captured anywhere else. More importantly, it gave the team a deeper understanding of the places, materials, and cultural details that would help shape our vision for the game. Alongside other scanning trips around the world, this work helps us build Marvel’s Wolverine with greater specificity, and respect for the real-world inspirations behind it. It was a challenging trip, but an incredibly successful one, and a meaningful step forward in how we collaborate, research, and bring believable worlds to life. We are excited to show you how these experiences and inspirations come to life when Marvel’s Wolverine hits PS5 consoles on September 15. Wishlist and pre-order now on the PlayStation Store.

Following gamescom 2026, Atlus confirmed the Switch 2 pre-order of the Metaphor: ReFantazio port is live with a new trailer. It highlights the Persona -like JRPG gameplay of the original title and gives us a chance to see the protagonist start to compete in the Royal Tournament to save his royal friend’s life. It is $39. 99 for the standard edition on the eShop . The Guidebook and Atlus 35th Anniversary special editions will be $49. 99 and $69. 99. The video begins with the animated sequence of the protagonist awakening their archetype. It then shows the turn-based battle system briefly, with both standard and magical attacks used against foes. We then see him meet NPCs and allies who will join him, an Elda, on a quest to undo a curse placed on his best friend, the prince of Euchronia, by Louis Guiabern. This means competing in the Royal Tournament alongside him at a chance to become the next king and take him down. Here’s the Metaphor: ReFantazio Switch 2 pre-order trailer from YouTube .  This comes about two years after the game first debuted. At launch, it showed up on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. That version is temporarily $27. 99 digitally on the PlayStation Store until September 10, 2026. Metaphor: ReFantazio will come to the Switch 2 on November 12, 2026, and it is already available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.

With the latest game in the popular air combat series just on the horizon, Bandai Namco have today released a trailer showing the online "endgame mode". This online mode will store its save data separately to the game's campaign, and feature its own means of progression. You'll be able to create and customise not only your plane this time around, but your avatar too, with free roaming around the air base with up to 100 players being possible. We also get a glimpse of... Read more

I’m confident in saying I wasn’t alone in being frustrated when, hot on the heels of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate’s Sora announcement, instead of getting the 1. 5 and 2. 5 Kingdom Hearts collections natively on Nintendo Switch, Square Enix revealed cloud versions. The Kingdom Hearts games are amazing, but incredibly time consuming. Players sink dozens and dozens of hours into those... The post We played Kingdom Hearts Collection Collection 1-3 on Nintendo Switch 2, here are our thoughts appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

CD Projekt Red's RPG Cyberpunk 2077 infamously launched in December 2020 in such a poor technical state that Sony took the rare move to remove it from the PlayStation Store. Thousands of people refunded the game . CD Projekt joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski has now reflected on this, saying it "was for sure wrong" to launch the game in that state, but he pushed back against the theory that the studio did so to appease investors who wanted to see financial returns. Speaking to The Game Business , Nowakowski said COVID "was a factor" in the game's rough state at launch, because "the team was getting exhausted in a different way." He admitted there were "people outside telling us we should launch," and fans lobbied for this as well. The developers themselves also "wanted to push it out the door" because the ongoing development was "really tiring." Looking back on it, now with the benefit of hindsight, Nowakowski said, "The decision to launch was for sure wrong, period. There is no denying it." That being said, Nowakowski said, "There were no magical investors telling us, 'You have to get this out.'" Instead, he said, "It was much more complicated and psychological."

A scene from Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt's fiscal years follow the calendar and end on December 31. Cyberpunk 2077 was released on December 10 in 2020, and this timing led people to wonder if the developer put the game out then instead of delaying to 2021 to meet the fiscal deadline. There is, after all, precedent for game developers pushing games out the door in a rough state to hit certain fiscal deadlines. Cyberpunk 2077 might have released in a rough technical state, but it was a smashing success at launch commercially. The game sold nearly 14 million copies right out of the gate, which made it one of the most successful RPG releases in the history of video games . Given that success, CD Projekt Red executives got multimillion-dollar bonus payouts , while developers also took home big bonus payouts related to the game's huge success in sales. Following Cyberpunk 2077's rough launch, CD Projekt Red steadily supported the game with numerous updates and improvements over the years, culminating with a massive, game-changing 2. 0 update in 2023 alongside the Phantom Liberty expansion. Today, the game has sold more than 40 million copies . In other news about Cyberpunk 2077, Microsoft just announced that the game is leaving Xbox Game Pass soon . Given the huge commercial success of Cyberpunk 2077, it only makes sense that CD Projekt is now making Cyberpunk 2, but it is likely still years away from release . On the more immediate horizon is The Witcher 3: Remastered this year , The Witcher 3's new Songs of the Past expansion in 2027 , and then The Witcher 4 in 2028. Fans hoping to play The Witcher 1's remake might want to get comfortable .

Type-Moon and Aniplex announced that the North American Aniplex Online Account system is now online for those playing Fate/Grand Order in the US and Canada for linking purposes. The official site is live and features Caster Leonardo da Vinci as its mascot. Step-by-step instructions are also available for  Visiting the official page for the Aniplex Online Account system shows the Da Vinci Workshop’s branch and the Fate/Grand Order logo. It then notes if you go to My Room, there is an Account Linking option between the Issue Transfer Number and Return to Title buttons. Tapping it lets you see if your account is or isn’t linked and when it happened if it is, and you can also start the process there. Tapping that lets you enter the email and password tied to Aniplex Online. You can log in at that point or, if you haven’t made an account yet, create one. Finishing the login process then also connects the accounts. That also means the Transfer Number will no longer be used as an account recovery or transfer option. In other Fate/ series news, we may hear about Fate/Extra Record again soon. Aniplex is now publishing it , and a new website and social media account will start getting updated later in September 2026. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ Fate/Grand Order is available on Android and iOS mobile devices worldwide and the Aniplex Online Account linking feature is available in the US and Canada.

Poly(gon) want a cracker? Publisher Eastasiasoft has announced that Polygon Bird's debutante shmup Birdcage is coming to console platforms later this month. Originally released for Steam in November 2025, the frenetic shooter will blast off September 23 on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The first release from Greek/Scottish studio Polygon Bird Games, Birdcage is a loving tribute to critically acclaimed shmups of yesteryear - such as Ikaruga and Radiant Silvergun - with a narrative setting inspired by the mechanised dystopia of classic sci-fi and anime. Read the full article on timeextension.com

CD Projekt has revealed that The Witcher Remake from Fool’s Theory is currently on the back burner as the studio works on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s Songs of the Past expansion and awaits some of The Witcher 4's technological innovations. Joint-CEO Michał Nowakowski mentioned roadblocks for the project in an interview with The Game Business . “We started a collaboration with Fool’s Theory. They were supposed to work on The Witcher 1 [remake], but we realized that needed a bit more time because of certain technology dependencies with The Witcher 4,” Nowakowski revealed. GameSpot has reached out to CD Projekt for comment on the state of The Witcher’s remake and whether issues with those “technology dependencies” required for further development have been resolved. We will update if we get a response.  CD Projekt at large is transitioning from using its proprietary RED Engine for all its games to Unreal Engine . The Witcher 4 will set the standard for what a Witcher game in Unreal Engine looks like, and it appears that The Witcher 1’s remake ( announced in 2022 ) got caught up in that technology shift. Now Fool’s Theory is the primary developer of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’s upcoming Songs of the Past expansion, which was unveiled at Gamescom.

This is the only image related to The Witcher's remake that CD Projekt ever publicly shared. Previous statements Nowakowski made in conversations with investors support his latest comment. In its Q3 2024 earnings report Q&A, Nowakowski said that “work is progressing” on the remake, but in the Q&A reflecting on the entire 2024 fiscal year , Nowakowski’s tone on the project changed. He explained that the remake’s development had been integrated with The Witcher 4’s.  “Due to production process dependencies - among others related to assets and technology - we have decided to temporarily integrate its development with ongoing work on The Witcher 4,” he said. “As a result, a small portion of The Fool's Theory team is currently supporting The Witcher 4 team. Our goal is to have the necessary assets, tools, and pipelines ready for more efficient development of The Witcher Remake.” In a Q3 2025 earnings call Q&A, Nowakowski reiterated this by stating, “the majority of the team is currently involved in the other project [Songs of the Past], and also support for The Witcher 4, so there is some limited team working on TW1, but since it’s very much tied with TW4 development…for TW1 per se, it’s a smaller group of people.” The Witcher 1’s remake does not have a release window at this time, but from Nowakowski's comments, it seems likely it won’t arrive until after The Witcher 3 Remastered later this month, Songs of the Past in 2027, and The Witcher 4 in 2028.

"Yes, really.". Double Fine is ready to make a sequel to Brutal Legend — you just have to help raise $100 million to make it a reality. As part of its new Kickstarter campaign, Amnesia Fortnight 2026 , the newly independent developer is letting its online community choose what game it creates next. Anyone who pledges money towards the campaign will be able to whittle down Double Fine's game jam creations to a few prototypes, and then one of them will be picked to go into production. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

McDonald’s will follow up its Hello Kitty x Godzilla Happy Meal toys promotion with a Spongebob x One Piece crossover. The company announced those will begin rolling out on September 15, 2026 in the US. This means we can expect the current promotion to end on September 14, 2026. It looks like we can expect another series of figures of the characters from the Nickelodeon cartoon dressed as Straw Hat Pirates and antagonists from the anime and manga . This line will also appear in places like Australia and Canada too, but not Japan.  In each case, we’re seeing 15 major and minor characters from Spongebob dressed as other famous figures and riding in pirate ships. The full list of pairings is below. Barnacle Boy as Koby The Flying Dutchman as Marshall D. Teach Gary as Tony Tony Chopper Larry the Lobster as Franky Mermaid Man as Monkey D. Garp Mr. Krabs as Jinbe Mrs. Puff as Charlotte “Big Mom” Linlin Patrick Star as Roronoa Zoro Plankton as Usopp Pearl Krabs as Nico Robin Sandy Cheeks as Nami Smitty Werbenjägermanjensen as Brook Spongebob Squarepants as Monkey D. Luffy Spongebob Squarepants as Monkey D. Luffy’s Gear 5 form Squidward Tentacles as Sanji Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ Here’s the initial teaser image from the ad that shows all 15 upcoming items.

Image via McDonald’s and Toei There’s also a special Spongebob x One Piece McDonald’s animated trailer promoting the Happy Meal toys. The Spongebob x One Piece McDonald’s Happy Meal toys will appear in the US starting on September 15, 2026. Spongebob is streaming on Paramount Plus. You can find the One Piece anime on services like Crunchyroll and Netflix, the manga via Viz Media, the live-action adaptation on Netflix, and the upcoming Lego animated special on Netflix. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

"the most important bit is that the players are happy". It's safe to say that, besides from Mario Kart World , CD Projekt Red's Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition was the game of the Switch 2's launch in 2025. That probably sounds strange considering it's a port of a title that infamously had a disastrous start on other platforms, but by the time it released on Nintendo's new console, it has been improved significantly and was widely considered one of the most impressive open-world games available. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Lo-fi first-person narrative exploration game Springs, Eternal will launch for PC via Steam in November… Source

Publisher Warner Bros. Games and developers TT Games, Double Eleven, and Cast Iron Games will … Source

"They wanted a developer who already had an engine they could just art-slap some stuff into". While not a tremendous success at the box office upon its original release, Disney's 1991 film adaptation of The Rocketeer comics by Dave Stevens has gone on to generate a respectable cult following in the decades since. So, when the news emerged in 2013 that Disney was at one point considering creating a video game sequel following on the film of the same name in the early 2000s , there was inevitably a lot of curiosity about the project, and more importantly, if it actually got any further than a pitch and a few very nice illustrations. Read the full article on timeextension.com

Like Atlus, Sega , and Konami , Capcom announced its Tokyo Game Show 2026 plans and confirmed its booth will include TGS updates and demos for games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen, Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance, and Mega Man: Dual Override. Its official site for the event is also open. The company confirmed it will also hold a Capcom Spotlight on September 16, 2026 on YouTube at 7am PT/10am ET/4pm CET/11pm JST. First, here’s the list of all the confirmed Capcom TGS 2026 games so far. I noted if there’s a demo already announced for the booth at the event. The official announcement did note that this will be the first time people can play demo builds of the Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen and Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance updates. The confirmed “partner” portions tied to Monster Hunter Outlanders, the Street Fighter movie, and Tokyo Marui Resident Evil / Biohazard shooting range. Dragon’s Dogma 2 Dark Arisen – Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC – a demo will be available – October 9, 2026. Mega Man: Dual Override – Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC – a demo will be available – 2027. Monster Hunter Outlanders – Android and iOS – TBD Monster Hunter Wilds Ascendance – PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC – a demo will be available – TBD. Onimusha: Way of the Sword – Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC – a demo will be available – September 4, 2026. Pragmata – Switch 2, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC – a demo will be available – available now worldwide. Street Fighter 6 – Switch 2, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC – a demo will be available – available now worldwide.  Testing out multiple games will net people a microfiber towel while supplies last, though the Monster Hunter Outlanders promotional item is an acrylic stand of one of four characters. While we don’t know how the Monster Hunter Wilds Asencance, Pragmata, or Street Fighter 6 ones will look, images of the other promo items appeared already. That also includes a Street Fighter movie bag based on the October 16, 2026 film. Here’s how those items will look.

Images via Capcom Tokyo Game Show 2026 will run September 17-21, 2026 at the Makuhari Messe in Japan.

Fly high. If you were in doubt that Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve is being positioned as the biggest game in the series so far, this new overview trailer of the flight shooter's multiplayer suite says it loud and clear. Of course, Bandai Namco's series has featured online multiplayer before, but Ace Combat Online, as it's called here, looks far more elaborate in Wings of Theve. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Game Pass in early September, including RuneScape: Dragonwilds… Source

See the face scanner in action. Nintendo is continuing its trend of releasing behind-the-scenes Creator's Voice videos for its third-party Switch 2 support, and today, we're getting a closer look at Onimusha: Way of the Sword . In this seven-minute video, director Satoru Nihei walks us through the game's creation, touching on how the team made the sword fights feel so badass, and how the contrast between hero Miyamoto Musashi and villain Sasaki Ganryu came to be. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

The latest batch of removals from Xbox Game Pass have been announced, and some heavyhitters are leaving soon. After The Witcher 3 was removed in August, another CD Projekt Red game, Cyberpunk 2077, is leaving the service on September 15. There are nine other games leaving Game Pass that day, including Dead Cells, Frostpunk 2, Spiritfarer, Train Sim World 5, and more. You can see the full list below. Cyberpunk 2077 was added to Game Pass in March this year, so it may have had a six-month deal, given that it's leaving this month. In terms of new additions for September , Game Pass is adding Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Virtua Fighter 5 R. E. V. O. World Stage, and RuneScape: Dragonwild this month, just to name a few.

Cyberpunk 2077 is leaving Game Pass soon. Game Pass removals for September 15 Commandos: Origins (Cloud, Console, and PC) Cricket 24 (Cloud, Console, and PC) Cyberpunk 2077 (Cloud and Console) Dead Cells (Cloud, Console, and PC) Deep Rock Galactic Survivor (Cloud, Console, and PC) Frostpunk 2 (PC) Mullet Madjack (Cloud, Console, and PC) Spiritfarer (Cloud, Console, and PC) Superliminal (Cloud, Console, and PC) Train Sim World 5 (Cloud, Console, and PC)

Here's what's leaving soon. Microsoft has revealed the next 11 games leaving Xbox Game Pass in early September 2026, with all of these being highlighted as "leaving soon" on the official Xbox mobile app. We've been waiting a little longer for Xbox to announce what's departing this month, and boy is it a sizeable list! From the neon streets of Cyberpunk 2077 to the icy brilliance of Frostpunk 2 , there's a lot of good games on the chopping block in early September. Read the full article on purexbox.com

It's the start of a new month, and right on cue, Microsoft has revealed the first wave of games coming to Xbox Game Pass in September. The upcoming batch isn't too massive, but it does include a day-one release that competitive gamers will want to check out, along with more titles for Xbox Game Pass Premium. Inversely, Game Pass will be losing some pretty big titles this month, with Cyberpunk 2077 leading the wave of departures. Kicking things off today is Shelldiver, an incremental game about a turtle fishing for jellyfish and then selling its catch at its adorable little store. On September 3, Speedrunners 2 launches as a day-one game. This competitive co-op platformer now supports up to eight players online, and you'll need to outrun and outjump your rivals to win each match. I hope you have good memorization skills for the challenging levels! On September 4, Game Pass Premium subscribers can grab Dice a Million for some roguelike deck-building fun, and one of the big highlights in September is the inclusion of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on September 8. While new Call of Duty games won't be added to Game Pass on day-one, you can grab this 2020 first-person shooter and enjoy a tightly paced Cold War-era story centered around hunting down a Soviet agent who is looking to destabilize the world. Another roguelike deck builder joins Game Pass on September 10 in the form of the medieval-themed The Royal Writ, but if you'd prefer to bang knuckles, Virtua Fighter 5 R. E. V. O. World Stage is a pretty fun brawler featuring Sega's fighting game royalty, and it's available the same day. Rounding things out for the first half of September is RuneScape: Dragonwilds, a co-operative survival adventure. Xbox Game Pass September Wave 1 Games https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo_olnx7uGo September 1 Shelldiver (Cloud, Console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass September 3 Speedrunners 2: King of Speed (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass September 4 Dice a Million (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Now with Game Pass Premium; joining Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass September 8 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (Cloud, Console, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass September 10 The Royal Writ (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, Handheld, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass Virtua Fighter 5 R. E. V. O. World Stage (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass September 15 RuneScape: Dragonwilds (Cloud, Xbox Series X|S, and PC), Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium, PC Game Pass

Yogscast Games and Save Sloth Studio have just announced that their new game, The Royal Writ, is coming to Nintendo Switch. The game has also received a release date, with its debut on the console set for September 10. Featuring a storybook-inspired art style, The Royal Writ is a tactical card game in which players choose their armies and advance... The post The Royal Writ announced for Nintendo Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Along with the music and iconic killer Michael Myers, the quiet suburban setting of 1970s Haddonfield is a pivotal element to capturing the legendary horror atmosphere and aesthetic of the Halloween franchise. As the design director for Halloween: The Game , it’s my job to help create the title’s technical and visual identity alongside my colleagues, and that challenge becomes a lot easier when you’re working within one of the greatest horror stories of all time. While our game features recognizable locations and landmarks from the films, we also have an opportunity to showcase lesser-known parts of Haddonfield as we give killers and heroes different sandboxes for the multiplayer survival horror gameplay. One such area is our new map, East Haddonfield, and I’m excited to give PlayStation players a look into it for the very first time today. Play Video

The typical midwestern town Halloween: The Game’s other maps are primarily areas we’ve seen and explored throughout the movies. For East Haddonfield, we felt it was important to expand our vision of Haddonfield so that players could explore aspects of the setting that were only subtly touched on in the original 1978 film. We wanted to create spaces that fill in the gaps of the movie’s story.

East Haddonfield is a departure from the suburbs of the Midwestern town, going from residential houses to large industrial structures and small businesses flanked by farmlands, highways, and train tracks. It’s a more open, rural playspace centered around a huge grain mill, while also featuring silos, storage areas, and all sorts of nooks and crannies. The mill itself hosts several interior and exterior spaces that lead to unexpected confrontations and escapes. And in between the buildings, you’ll find wrap-around porches, farm equipment, dirt parking lots, and other signs that you’re on the outskirts of town. This map also includes the neon-soaked Rabbit in Red Lounge and Phelps Garage, which should both look familiar to fans. All told, it’s a more chaotic version of the maps you find in the city: haphazard sight lines, uneven fence configurations, and buildings piled up and knotted together in ways that encourage strategic stealth and unique evasion tactics. The openness of the map can create enticing exit routes, but players will have to be cautious taking those chances as they try to avoid Myers. A dominant killing force In the original Halloween movie, Michael drives everything. I think we can all recall seeing him for the first time and how he awakens that powerful, deep fear in the audience. As developers, we needed to make sure that powerful fear was present in our game: this premise of creating a very safe neighborhood atmosphere, and then introducing an agent of unimaginable chaos. We wanted to make sure that every single time you see Michael in-game, you are fearful for your life, knowing that your chances of escape are minimal.

His arsenal, his capabilities, even his walk—everything about him had to be unsettling. Michael does in the game what he does in the movies: appearing where you least expect, keeping up no matter what, and killing in unexpected ways. He’s a threat at all times, and his existence drives the terror. We made sure that playing as Michael felt satisfying and powerful, to create that quintessential slasher feel. That’s also why we went for a 1v4 asymmetrical approach. Michael is trying to kill everybody, and everyone else is trying to save as many people as they can, all while ensuring their own survival. Michael gains power as matches progress, becoming a dominant killing force moving through the map. And if you’re playing as one of the survivors, you know that every minute that you’re still alive risks that moment of encounter. So you’re constantly on edge. The perfect blueprint The original 1978 film was the perfect blueprint for us—I think I’ve watched it a billion times at this point. We drew inspiration from the craft that went into making that film: the camera work, the lenses, the color grading, the time period. We conducted a lot of research of the 70s for authenticity and we also had priceless access to pillars of the film’s creative team. We had Nick Castle, the actor who played the original Michael Myers, doing mo-cap and sharing his insight on how to best capture kills. We continually speak with Malek Akkad at Compass International Pictures about his knowledge of the film and its legacy, and also spoke with the legendary John Carpenter himself for his perspective. These conversations influenced our emphasis on the game’s story mode and its chapters—one of which occurs on the East Haddonfield map. I feel very proud of every piece that went into developing this game: the thousands of decisions and elements we’ve created that come together to make sure playing feels fun, thrilling, and unmistakably Halloween. We’ve come a long way, and I can’t wait to share the game with fans everywhere! Halloween: The Game launches on PS5 September 8.

*Soundtrack not included. The bank holiday brought surprising news in the world of emulation, as Sega's inimitable icon Sonic the Hedgehog was spotted hitting the loop-de-loop on the humble Commodore Amiga, courtesy of a new playable demo from fanmodder Reassembler. Currently titled " Aonic ", Reassembler's demo uses A1200 technology to recreate Green Hill Zone Act 1, a stage practically canonised in the minds of classic gaming fans the world over. The Aonic demo, meticulously adapted directly from the original Sega Mega Drive code, authentically reproduces the stage design, enemies, speed, and physics of Sega's phenomenal 1991 release - a release that became the studio's best-selling game to date while also making a multimedia superstar out of its spiny protagonist. Reassembler's announcement video includes a one-to-one of the original Mega Drive game running alongside the Aonic demo, leaving very little room for comparison. Visually, Aonic looks almost identical to its Mega Drive counterpart - save for a necessary alteration to the game's HUD, which lacks the transparency of the original game and is forced to exist outside the gameplay window. The recreation of the Mega Drive's colour palette is courtesy of another modder, RetroRic, who released their own demo back in January of this year. The combination of RetroRic's visual tinkering and Reassembler's adaptive coding has resulted in Aonic's spectacular first showing. Teamwork indeed makes the Dreamwork. Read the full article on timeextension.com

The Build-a-Bear Sanrio Halloween plush for 2026 are in and this time the collection includes staples like Starry Sky Hello Kitty and Spooky Webs Cinnamoroll and Lloromannic characters Berry and Cherry for the first time. All items are now available in-store and online alone or in bundles with outfits, though this year’s Hello Kitty is an online exclusive.  The Lloromannic Sanrio characters Berry and Cherry are associated with Cinnamoroll. However, we also saw them with the mascot character Kuromi in Hello Kitty Island Adventure due to them also serving in an antagonistic role in lore. While they look like flying puppies in the same way Cinnamoroll does, they are actually considered demons. Both are available alone for this Build-a-Bear release, or in themed Lloromannic. Each character also has Lloromannic embroidered on their left foot. Here’s the full list of prices for each of the new and returning products available this year. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ Berry – $38 Berry with Lloromannic Dress – $52. 50 Cherry – $38 Cherry with Lloromannic Dress – $52. 50 Hello Kitty Cauldron Wristie – $7 (Online Only) Pumpkin Pompompurin – $38 Pumpkin Pompompurin Halloween Gift Set – $52. 50 Spooky Webs Cinnamoroll – $38 Spooky Webs Cinnamoroll with Halloween Outfit – $52. 50 Starry Sky Hello Kitty – $38 (Online Only) Starry Sky Hello Kitty Halloween Gift Set – $65 (Online Only) You can see pictures of the Build-a-Bear Sanrio Halloween 2026 Starry Sky Hello Kitty, Spooky Webs Cinnamoroll, and Lloromannic characters Berry and Cherry below.

Images via Sanrio and Build a Bear We do tend to see time-limited Sanrio plush at Build-a-Bear every Halloween and often Cinnamoroll and Hello Kitty are included. For example, back in 2024 the retailer sold Candy Corn Cinnamoroll, Spooky Bat Kuromi, and Zombie Pompompurin. The Pumpkin Pompompurin from this year is actually a returning design from 2025.  Sanrio plush of Starry Sky Hello Kitty, Spooky Webs Cinnamoroll, and Lloromannic characters Berry and Cherry are now at Build-a-Bear worldwide for Halloween 2026.

2 States, 2 Plays. Out of pretty much nowhere, Sony has announced not one, but two State of Play presentations , going out one after the other later this week. One is your typical State of Play, while the other is focused on games coming from Japan and Asia, and it should make for a very interesting double bill of gaming news. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Weapons and Barbarian director Zach Cregger's Resident Evil movie releases this month, and tickets are now on sale. If you don't want to pay full price, and you meet a certain requirement, you can get a ticket for a whole lot less than normal. T-Mobile members in the US can score a ticket to Resident Evil for just $5 through Atom Tickets . As relayed by Wario64 , subscribers can visit the T-Life mobile app on September 15 to get a discounted ticket. That is three days before the Resident Evil movie arrives on September 18, though Thursday night screenings on September 17 are also taking place. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNd1gb19A-c The Resident Evil movie stars Austin Abrams as Bryan , an "idiot" medical courier who takes a job that brings him to Raccoon City where all hell breaks loose in a story akin to The Lord of the Rings . The new Resident Evil movie is poised for a record-breaking debut at the box office , but that isn't saying too much since the other movies didn't do so great. Cregger is coming off the biggest movie he's ever made in Weapons, and he has plans to follow it up with a spin-off focusing on Aunt Gladys .

"I’ve never been a fan of horror". Despite directing one of the greatest survival horror games of all time with Resident Evil 2 , game creator Hideki Kamiya has always been open about his aversion to scary stuff. Now, in speaking with VGC , Kamiya has called out Capcom directly for supposedly having "no awareness" of how scary its flagship survival horror franchise really is. He says that despite wanting to experience this year's Resident Evil Requiem and revisit the ruined site of the R. P. D., he is unable to do so because of how much it scares him. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

If you've played a Grand Theft Auto game before, then you are probably familiar with the series' sprinting mechanic. Rather than clicking the left analog stick like in most other games, you have to either hold or mash a face button. It's annoying, less intuitive, and feels like a relic of the past, and luckily, Rockstar apparently agrees: Grand Theft Auto 6 is doing away with it. As shared by the Italian YouTuber MikeShowSha , you will now click the analog stick in order to sprint. It's a welcome change for muscle memory if nothing else, as anything other than clicking the analog stick feels odd in 2026. We've occasionally seen other game series, like Halo, adjust control schemes over time to fit more modern standards, though usually the option for the old-style controls is available in these cases. Of course, this change is certainly the reason it took 13 years for Grand Theft Auto 6 to arrive. Other, less-important changes include a map that is three times bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2, a new Criminal Profile system, throwable dog poop, and a physical-fitness system. Grand Theft Auto 6 arrives November 19 for Xbox Series X|S and PS5, and it's expected to be one of the biggest entertainment launches in history. With the change to how you sprint, it just might get there.

GTA 6 is one of the most-anticipated entertainment releases ever, and many experts agree that it's sure to be a fast success. However, Rockstar North boss Rob Nelson said the studio is "nervous" about the game's upcoming release and living up to 13 years worth of hype and expectations . "I try not to think about it," Nelson told IGN . "You’re aware of it, of course. But I think we just have to try and make something that we feel is innovating on what we've done previously, evolving it while still making it feel familiar." Nelson went on to say that external pressure on Rockstar to deliver a great game with GTA 6 does not compare to "the pressure we put on ourselves as a team." "Everyone wants things to be perfect. We are nervous! Nervous, of course, but also excited to see how people respond to this video and then ultimately the game," he said. "It is definitely a step forward in all respects for us--the size of the world, and how deep it feels. It’s a bit of a shock when you get in there, and you see the density of the traffic, the density of population, and the fidelity of their responses to you." Part of the reason why GTA 6 took so long to come to market is because Rockstar is "creating perfection," according to Rockstar owner Take-Two. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick explained that Rockstar prioritized polish over rushing the game to release. “We’re seeking perfection,” he said. “When we feel we’ve optimized creatively, that’s the time to release.” “There’s inherent tension, potentially, between getting something to market and creating perfection,” Zelnick added. “But this company errs on the side of perfection.” GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. A report said the game might make enough money from preorders alone– amounting to an estimated $2 billion by launch –to pay for the game’s entire production budget.

Ray tracing at 60fps is one option. When The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Remastered was announced, CD Projekt Red confirmed that it would include support for PS5 Pro — but the developer didn't share any immediate details. Fortunately, fans have now sifted through the company's massive Gamescom livestreams, picking out the specifics for all to see. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Including how saves and Xbox achievements will transfer. One of the biggest announcements of Gamescom 2026 week was that of The Witcher 3: Remastered , which officially arrives on September 29th as a free upgrade for those who already own the game (at least digitally, and seemingly even physically) on Xbox and other platforms. Today, the Community Director at CD Projekt Red has been revealing a few more details about what to expect from the remaster, confirming that its treated as an "update to the existing game", meaning you won't have to start again if you've already got a save file, and any Xbox achievements you've acquired will remain unlocked. Read the full article on purexbox.com

‘Light-hearted axe-wielding serial killer puzzle game’ Aerial_Knight’s Mr. Freezy is now available for PC via … Source

Moon Studios has delayed the version 1. 0 release of action RPG No Rest for the … Source

If you aren't familiar with Agni, When Sirens Fall Silent, Kumarn or BrokenLore: Don't Lie… Source

Action RPG needs more time. Anticipated action RPG No Rest for the Wicked has cancelled its plans to launch this October. Instead, the full 1. 0 release — on PS5 and other platforms — will now drop in March 2027. It's a pretty hefty delay, prompting Moon Studios boss Thomas Mahler to post a video on the matter. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Konami announced it will hold a Press Start live stream that will cover the three upcoming games Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Rev. Noir . That will appear at 8am PT/11am ET on September 3, 2026. It will spend about 30 minutes going over the company’s games, according to the official site . While the official teaser image and announcement only confirmed the three upcoming Konami games Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Rev. Noir, it seems we’ll see more titles from the company during that stream. The page there specifically showed eFootball: Kick Off and the upcoming Project Zircon . The confirmation mentioned “currently available titles” too. Some of those more recent releases are the titles in the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Volume 2 , eBaseball: Pro Spirit, and Super Bomberman Collection . It is possible there could be updates tied to them. There’s one game we know won’t be there. We know Bloober Team is working on another Silent Hill remake, following the work on the second entry. The site specifically said, “There will be no announcements regarding a remake of Silent Hill.” Here’s the official placeholder from the Konami YouTube Channel for the September 2026 Press Start presentation. Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse launches on October 15, 2026 on the Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Silent Hill: Townfall will come to the PS5 and PC on September 24, 2026. Rev. Noir is in development for the PS5.

'berfest begins. And we're off! The busiest quarter of the gaming year is here to stretch the capacity of your wallet and your Micro SD Express Cards. To start off, September sees a brand-new Onimusha , some long-awaited ports, and two Switch 2 exclusives in the form of the co-op Orbitals and Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave . Then October arrives with huge games, old and new, including a brand new Castlevania , the first Call of Duty game on a Nintendo platform for well over a decade, and a clutch of Kingdom Hearts — proper, non-cloud version s this time — to tide us over until the fourth entry next year. Read the full article on nintendolife.com

"A modern way to bring back the feeling". The screen you use to play retro games on is a vital part of the experience, and while old-school CRT displays are the most faithful way of reconnecting with the past, there are many video scalers and processing devices which allow you to get a similar experience on modern-day TVs. Unico's TRAVELLER•ULW10 aims to strike a middle ground between those two options. It's a modern LCD monitor with a "retro-inspired" 4:3 aspect ratio design and a raft of legacy connections, including RGB and VGA (thanks, Retro Dodo ). HDMI is included for modern systems, too. Read the full article on timeextension.com

As Sony marches towards its all-digital future , the company is now arguing in a class-action lawsuit that it doesn't mislead customers into purchasing digital licenses for games, instead of actual ownership of the product. In a filing in California's Northern District Court made last month (and spotted by Game File ), Sony claims that "reasonable consumers would not be misled" when shopping on its storefront. The court overseeing the case against Sony is currently evaluating whether it should proceed to arbitration, as plaintiffs argue that Sony doesn't properly disclose the nature of digital purchases on its platforms. California law requires a warning label that clearly communicates to consumers of digital goods that the products they're purchasing are, in fact, digital licenses. For PlayStation games, Sony says that its terms and services disclaimer--the wall of text that accompanies a sale--lays out the nature of a purchase. The disclaimer isn't found anywhere during the purchase process; instead, Sony leaves a paragraph of text above the "confirm purchase" button. Users then need to navigate through the terms of service menus and read through the text, which includes the following line in the PlayStation 5 System Software Licence Agreement:

Always read the fine print. "If you are in North America, South America, or Central America, all games and other software made available for use with your PS5 system are licensed to you, not sold, pursuant to the Software Product License Agreement." "In the digital age, it is not plausible to allege that reasonable consumers believed they were obtaining 'ownership' of a digital game," Sony's lawyers wrote in the company's defense (via Aftermath ). While Sony is correct that it does have disclaimers, this paints a worrying picture for the future of console games when there are no physical options available. Sony will stop producing game discs as of January 2028, and with its next-gen PlayStation console rumored to have no disc drive , the PlayStation Store will be the only game in town for accessing PS6 titles.

Among horror royalty, there is perhaps no greater icon than Michael Myers. First appearing in 1978, the slasher helped ignite a trend of similar movie monsters that defined the next decade and beyond of the horror landscape. Halloween: The Game displays a keen understanding of his special place in that lineage, and IllFonic has brought his unique sense of unrelenting menace to video games in a way I can't get enough of. Halloween: The Game is a 4v1 asymmetrical horror game from a team that has established its brand on similar projects. From Friday the 13th and Predator: Hunting Grounds to Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed and Killer Klowns From Outer Space, IllFonic has spent the last decade becoming synonymous with this genre, and yet it's never made the same game twice. That's true again here, as one of Halloween's best attributes is that it plays quite unlike any other, be it from this team or the others also making games in this realm. The studio didn't reskin something we've seen before in a blue jumpsuit. This is the real deal. Though games of this sort have used a 4v1 setup before, most famously in the genre's king of the hill, Dead by Daylight, Halloween adds a unique wrinkle in the form of NPCs. Across the various maps of Haddonfield, Illinois, residents go about their day-to-day lives, and it's up to the team of four player-controlled survivors to warn them of the threat Myers poses, protect them, and eventually escort them off the map or hide them until the round's timer expires. I love this new approach to the genre for two big reasons. For one, it dims the spotlight on the human survivors. In a game of Dead by Daylight, for example, one or two people dying early will likely doom the entire round. But in Halloween, your group of four is joined by a handful of other potential survivors, and the game's scoring system, like Killer Klowns' before it, is not built on a binary pass/fail. You could die in a round, but if your team helps a handful of residents flee to safety, you may have won the round anyway. It feels like less pressure is on your shoulders. Fundamentally, this gives the entire game a feel unlike anything that's come before it. You're not just trying to escape or wait out the timer to win, as you did in Friday the 13th. You actively need to outrun and outsmart Michael Myers, creatively using the limited time you have before he appears in stabbing range. Staying stealthy, locking doors behind you, and pre-planning an exit strategy--like jumping out a window when he's swarmed the house you're in--are vital. But there's another big reason this novel setup works so well: It authentically captures the spirit of the movies, particularly that timeless first one from 1978. This is especially true when you're playing as Michael himself. His key ability, the Shape Jump, allows him to quickly and invisibly float around the map, reappearing anywhere so long as it's dark and no survivor is too near, mimicking his way of almost supernaturally being where you least expect him. But simply spawning on survivors to quickly gut them only awards the killer a measly score for his gory efforts. Instead, you're encouraged by the scoring system to stalk your prey, watching from a distance, building up your stalking meter, before ultimately moving in for the kill. The higher your stalking meter, the more environmental kills you can unlock, too, which don't just add even more score, but also sell the horror-movie vibe--Michael isn't merely slashing everyone with his butcher knife. He's throwing them through TVs, into fireplaces, or leaving them propped up on fences like twisted lawn decorations.

Halloween is certainly Illfonic's best-looking game yet. After a kill, you're also encouraged to admire your work, staring at it in the same first-person view you use to stalk people in order to build up a Bloodthirst meter that makes Michael more powerful for subsequent kills.  This loop of stalking and killing residents, both user-controlled and NPCs, gives Halloween its special ingredient. I found myself role-playing as Michael in ways I didn't see coming, peeking out from bushes just enough to stealthily build my stalking meter on unsuspecting victims, practically recreating some of the film's most memorable imagery . Staring into people's living rooms as they gabbed on the phone or leisurely watched TV was so immersive, I'd even creep myself out at times. It felt like I was playing a home-invasion simulator. It was unsettling, but true to the film. With a lot of games in this space, the community is often obsessed with playing as the killer, and that'll likely happen here, too. But playing Halloween as a survivor has been my most enjoyable experience on that side of the asymmetry since Friday the 13th. The objective of getting people out alive is fresh, but even when it's your neck Michael is breathing down, it's well-balanced. After a few matches as Michael, I thought he was overpowered, but as I played more and people came to understand how to operate as survivors, it became clearer that those survivors have a lot of strength in numbers. Banding together to arm NPCs, escorting them to escape routes, and disrupting Michael's restless pursuit with flashlights, firecrackers, guns, and melee weapons are best done with your friends nearby. If you're grabbed, you can pry yourself free rather easily with a pocket knife, or with more effort using a quick-time event that lets you escape his clutches if you're fast enough. When Michael closes the distance, it's possible and could even be likely that you down him with a gang attack. Though he can't seemingly be killed like Jason once could, when he's downed, his Bloodthirst meter takes a major hit, before he sits up like The Undertaker (okay, to be fair, The Undertaker stole that move from him ), and continues his pursuit. Little moments like that will be rarer, but in between, the period-specific cars, kitchens, garages, and TV shows soak you in the time and place of the film, while the front porches lined with jack-o'-lanterns, as vibes-rich as they already are, feel destined to be even more appreciated every October. I love the fall season, and that's partly because I love horror so much. It feels so good to live in the world of the film, faithfully brought to life in every would-be-quaint home turned into a crime scene, aglow in the lights of both pumpkins and police cars.

Yes, Laurie Strode is playable and sometimes even an NPC--and, as an added plot twist, she might even die first. It's not only the NPCs that make Halloween stand out from the pack of asymmetrical horror multiplayer games. There's also a single-player campaign, though it's not the draw here. Across six missions and only about two hours total for a single playthrough, you'll play entirely as Michael Myers, re-enacting some of the movie's scenes while also adding to the canon. The premise is that you're playing as him, starting with his escape from Smith's Grove Sanitarium and up through Halloween Eve, essentially filling a gap in time when we otherwise don't see what he's up to. It functions more than anything as a tutorial. With various icons on the screen, cooldown abilities, and lots of mechanics to manage, from killing the electricity, phone lines, or, of course, the many people around town, the campaign does its job at teaching you the basics, though it should be noted there's no survivor equivalent. For that side of the game, you really just learn by doing. I didn't mind that since it meant things like repairing getaway cars, calling the cops, or unlocking the emergency bunker weren't so clearly understood, heightening the horror of my earliest rounds. The campaign also has more to do than just see each mission once, as it includes a set of challenges to complete that award items such as player banners, clothing, and other cosmetics for its several survivor characters and Michael himself. I had more fun with the campaign when chasing these rewards than I did on the first pass when I was playing it simply for its own sake. The solo mode isn't much to get excited about on its own.

Each map envelops you in the place and time of the original film. Halloween also continues a long trend for IllFonic games, and it's one I wish all other games of this sort would copy: You lose nothing for playing in private matches. You enjoy the same XP rates; you can unlock all the same rewards; there's nothing gated behind matchmaking versus playing in a private lobby. Though it's easy to load into a multiplayer game with your friends anyway, I know firsthand that sometimes you want to keep it more casual or private in a game for just you and your buddies. I can see why other games, particularly the ultra-competitive Dead by Daylight, aren't as willing to tear down that barrier, but IllFonic has never punished players for playing in private matches, even if they choose to never step foot into a public lobby, and I love that. I had a ton of fun with Halloween, so much, in fact, that I was willing to forgive what was a messy experience during many rounds. Bugs in the game ranged from cosmetic blemishes, like misaligned kill animations and floating police cars appearing on the map, to more serious issues, like players losing the ability to move or frame-rate slowdowns. Lots of these issues were cleaned up over time; I've been playing the game for a few weeks now and have seen several patches come through. Still, with more planned patches on the way, my expectation is early adopters will experience some janky aspects of their own, even if they may be less common or different than the ones I named here. If there's one consistent mark against this studio, it's a lack of polish out of the gate.

Though the launch-day patch may provide a cleaner experience than I had, I'd be surprised if Halloween is entirely free of the issues I ran into. These issues slightly tempered my enjoyment of Halloween, though I'm generally not easily frustrated by bugs if the core experience is good enough. If you tend to be more bothered by them, you may want to see how the broader community reacts in the early days after launch. For me, though, I had so much fun and only didn't play more than my 20+ hours because it's hard to coordinate multiplayer sessions when only a few people in the world are playing before launch. People often like to stack up every asymmetrical horror game to Dead by Daylight. I've never felt that makes sense. Games like Halloween aren't trying to replace that genre titan; they're seeking to live alongside it. To do that, they need a distinct and exciting gameplay loop and to capture the tone of their source material. Halloween achieves both of these things, giving players a vibes-heavy experience befitting the timeless film while also offering a unique hook that keeps the game from feeling like a rehash of the many horror multiplayer games that came before it. Games like Halloween don't make me think the landscape is oversaturated. It makes me excited to see what teams that love horror the way IllFonic does will do next, because here, with Halloween, they nailed it.

A new Konami Press Start showcase will be held on September 3, 2026, it’s been announced. The presentation airs at 8 AM PT / 11 AM ET / 4 PM in the UK / 5 PM in Europe. Konami says fans can look forward to the “latest news and updates”. In terms of Nintendo-related games, we know that Castlevania: Belmont’s... The post Konami Press Start showcase announced for September 3 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

indie.io and SoulBlade Studio are putting SoulQuest on Nintendo Switch, they’ve announced. The title is set to release on September 3, 2026. SoulQuest is a side-scrolling spectacle fighter. Players will go on a journey to defy the gods to seize the power of Morrigan, Goddess of Death, and retrieve the soul of their beloved. More information can be found in... The post SoulQuest appearing on Nintendo Switch this week appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Stop! Stop! Sammy's already dead. Stranger Than Heaven kicked my ass, guys. I’ve been playing the Yakuza games since the PS2, so I’d like to think I’m a seasoned enjoyer of RGG Studio’s specific brand of brawler gameplay. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

This looks ridiculous. Rockstar has added more GTA 6 screenshots to its official website in the aftermath of last week’s mind-blowing Extended Look . Some of these images were shared exclusively among influencers first, so it’s possible you may have seen these floating around on social media, like the iguana for example. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Here we go again. I’m not entirely sure how this rumour got started, but the web is awash with reports this weekend that Sony is considering reversing its stance on physical games. The manufacturer has announced plans to cease manufacturing discs in January 2028, which has led to a loud outcry from select customers, prompting an indefinite “ blackout ” of the PS5 console. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

LEGO Harry Potter Collection will be appearing on Nintendo Switch 2, according to a retailer listing. A new page just went up today for the package over at VGP. This has not yet been officially announced by Warner Bros, but should be soon – especially if the October 16 release date is accurate. LEGO Harry Potter Collection previously appeared on... The post LEGO Harry Potter Collection coming to Nintendo Switch 2 appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

More Animal Crossing makeup is on the way as Bandai Namco announced it will offer some of its Creer Beaute Pon de Couleur multi-color powder in both its Gashapon capsule machines and at stores in Japan. It is expected to begin appearing in September 2026. 12 designs will be available, though getting them for 500 yen (~$3) in a gacha means you won’t know which one you’ll get. It’s unknown if we will eventually also see these everywhere, but the Creer Beaute Tamagotchi makeup did show up worldwide on the Bandai Namco Amazon storefront .  All of the Creer Beaute items Bandai Namco makes are based on anime or game series, with past examples involving Tamagotchi, Kirby , and Super Mario collections. Each of the single palettes features one character on the lid and a color tied to them. The makeup inside can be used as an eyeshadow or a blush/highlight. Here’s the full list of characters present and the color of the powder in their palettes: Apple (Coral) Audie (Orange) Dom (Peach) Isabelle (Yellow) Judy (Pink) Ketchup (Red) Margie (White) Marshal (Beige) Sasha (Mint Green) Sherb (Sky Blue) Timmy and Tommy (Navy Blue) Tom Nook (Brown) And here’s how each one will look:

Images via Bandai Namco and Nintendo A lot of Animal Crossing makeup appeared both in Japan and worldwide over the years. There was a ColourPop collection, for example. That involved palettes and lipsticks. Most recently, Mitea made a series of skincare items that even appeared in Japanese Nintendo Stores . With that series, there were also things like bags to pick up. The Animal Crossing Creer Beaute Pon de Couleur multi-color powder makeup will launch in Japan in September 2026. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is on the Switch and Switch 2. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Most upcoming games have looked to steer clear of the behemoth that is Grand Theft Auto 6 and avoid the month of November entirely. The upcoming remaster of 2002's Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee is a notable exception , and as it turns out, the developers didn't think about GTA 6 at all when choosing its release date. In an interview with IGN , senior designer at developer Pipeworks Simon Strange revealed GTA's looming release of November 16 wasn't a factor when choosing Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee: Remastered's November 3 release date.  Like others online, the development team got a kick out of kaiju fans celebrating the fact that the King of the Monsters (and Barbie) were the only two pop culture icons brave enough to face off against developer Rockstar's open-world juggernaut. "Honestly, [it] wasn't even in our heads at all when we were picking the release date," Strange said. "That's not my business. I make the video games. I'm not too worried about when they come out. If Atari had come to us and said, 'Wow, we can't because we think it's going to affect the sales with GTA', we would've had that discussion. But no one ever said anything." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBDD_Q9rSiQ As Strange points out, November 3 is a special date for the Godzilla fandom. It was on that same day in 1954 that the original Gojira film was released and is regarded as Godzilla's official birthday. Strange said the upcoming remaster arriving on the same day was "respectful," and that at the end of the day, Godzilla fans would show up no matter when it was released. "I wasn't looking at the calendar and being worried in any way, or thinking about what other games are coming out because the Godzilla fans are very excited for it," Strange said. "They'd buy it on any day that it came out, and putting it out on Godzilla's birthday, that's just respectful." While Godzilla Destroy All Monsters Melee: Remastered and Barbie Rewind , a collection of classic Barbie games, are both releasing in proximity to GTA 6, there is one game brave enough to release on the exact same day. Publisher Devolver Digital recently revealed Volvy's Adventure: Reslimed, a "remaster" of a nonexistent remake that will release on Steam November 16. For those eagerly awaiting GTA 6, Rockstar recently posted a lengthy gameplay presentation that revealed tons of new details .

NIS America has put up a new publisher sale on the Nintendo eShop with tons of discounts for Switch, and even a couple for Switch 2. La-Mulana, Mad Rat Dead, and more are at new low prices. Right now you can save on around 70 different games. There’s a lot to choose from and big savings given that discounts are... The post NIS America Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch sale live with La-Mulana, Mad Rat Dead, and more at new low prices appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Fear not, Control fans: Control Resonant will be packed with lore despite the combat-heavy trailers we've seen so far, according to developer Remedy. The lack of focus on story in promotional footage, says Remedy senior communications manager Miika Huttunen, is no reflection of the game's content, but instead a deliberate decision by the team to have the narrative side of the game on lockdown until release. In short: You'll get your fill, you just have to wait. The sneak peeks we've had of the game so far have been mainly combat-focused, a result of combat being something that doesn't need to be revealed gradually to the player. "There's lots of weird stuff to come," says Huttunen, "plenty of twists and turns and surprises… things to discover. We're asking fans to trust us--we're Remedy. And I hope that, because we're Remedy, we get the benefit of the doubt."

Dialogue with NPCs, collectibles, and environmental clues will all give fans a new story to piece together. Lore-related collectibles, like FBC documents and written materials from pre-Hiss-invasion times, are scattered liberally throughout the game. It pays to explore and take your time finding secrets, as the world of Control Resonant is no less carefully crafted than its predecessor, and the story is far from an afterthought. Besides the written word, you'll also find countless places where you can open shortcuts, unpack subtle environmental clues, and have interactions with NPCs who help to expand your understanding of the world. Huttunen also revealed that Control Resonant will reward players' decisions in dialogue through subtle changes in how other characters react to them, side quest variations, and a slow build of their own personality. The main story will be largely linear and have one distinct ending--though if Remedy's track record is anything to go by, one that players won't see coming.

The combat we've been shown looks excellent, but there will be plenty of lore, too. The brief chunk of gameplay we saw at Gamescom already had enough to get fans of the original game wondering how the hell things got so bad, as test-subject-turned-paranatural-protagonist Dylan was shown actively seeking out and consuming the stupefying Mold. Manhattan is unrecognizable, requiring gravity shifts to traverse streets that now point directly up into the sky or curve around to form an unnatural ceiling, and enemies of various grotesque flavors roam free. Dylan himself is as much of an enigma as the world around him. You're revealing the story of the wider city--past, present, and future--but also coaxing Dylan's story out one puzzle piece at a time. Fights in the demo were fluid and flexible. Using the Aberrant, a shapeshifting melee weapon, Dylan quickly adapted to waves of enemies, building up a Falter gauge to deliver fatal blows, and dashing nimbly between the legs of shambling Mold creatures. It's satisfying, fast-paced, and rewards the aggressive strategist's approach. Using the paranatural abilities to your advantage means your weapon feels like an extension of you, especially as Dylan gains health only by killing enemies. Resonant's combat focuses on aggression, as we previously learned there won't be a parry mechanic .

Before this place got covered in mold it probably looked alright. In between these bouts--either after a victory, or voluntarily during quieter periods--Dylan can retreat to The Gap. This is a sort of liminal space where you can practice moves in a low-stakes arena of enemy types (useful for learning weaknesses), change his loadout, use new Artifacts for boosts, and upgrade his abilities. It's a peaceful reprieve, but once you return to the real world, there's a penalty: everything has been refreshed and strengthened, designed to level up with you.  Between the snippets of conversation shown in the demo, the strange and immensely detailed setting, seamless combat against intelligent foes, and a load of new lore to uncover, it seems like Control Resonant might be exactly as good as fans were hoping.

Sony announced that people in the US can now access Live TV on PS5 on a PlayStation 5 and that anime channels are part of the launch line-up. This is the ad-supported option to watch channels with different themes. The PlayStation Blog reveal confirmed Crunchyroll is behind some of the “over 100” launch channels. That statement also confirmed Canada could be the next country to get the feature. Sony shared the exact step-by-step walkthrough to accessing the new feature on a console. Someone will find the feature under the Media tab in the Home menu. If you scroll down, you should see the new live TV option. You don’t need to download an app to use it, and the DualSense or Media Remote could be used to check channels. You do need to log into your PlayStation Account in order to watch the live and on-demand programming available via this feature. The initial reveal confirmed that there will be Live TV on PS5 channels dedicated to anime, fiction and nonfiction TV shows, news, sports, weather, movies, esports, and “creator programming.” Some of the anime series confirmed in the reveal and on the official site are Black Clover, Death Note, Hunter x Hunter , Naruto , and Sailor Moon. Some other shows mentioned include Community, Teen Wolf, The Shield, and The Walking Dead. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ A trailer for the feature is now live on YouTube. Live TV on PS5 is now live on the PlayStation 5 in the US and could appear in Canada and other countries eventually.

Going offline. It’s time for another bi-annual article looking at the darker side of our digital future, with more than 10 titles poised to be delisted or disabled over the coming months. As always, I’m compiling all upcoming delistings, server shutdowns, and general disruptions you should be aware of across PS5 and PS4 for September and October. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Bandai Namco just released a new Frieren prize figure in Japan that recreates the anime scene of her crying and throwing a tantrum for three days and three nights. It is now in Japanese arcade crane game machines, and the Banpresto Amazon storefront says it will appear in the US on December 11, 2026. When it does show up outside Japan, it will cost $27. The pose for this figure is designed to be an exact replica of her crying her eyes out for an unknown reason in a flashback of a tantrum scene in the season 2 Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End episode “ Somewhere She’d Like .” In it, she’s telling Stark about one of her legendary outbursts and how it even humbled Himmel the hero. As such, she’s sitting on the floor with her knees against her chest and sobbing. Her mouth is gaping open, and huge translucent teardrops are at the corners of each of her scrunched shut eyes. Since she’s sitting, there’s no stand included. Here’s how that looks from two different angles. She sits at about five inches tall (13cm).

Images via Bandai Namco It isn’t uncommon for Bandai Namco to release goofier figures of the character. In one, she’s wearing the outfit she’d wear if she needed to work for 300 years in a mine to repay a debt. A series of Gashapon mini figures featured her sleeping in various positions . The Frieren crying tantrum figure already launched in Japan and will appear in the US on December 11, 2026. Crunchyroll is the streaming home of the anime adaptation, and Viz Media handles the manga . We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Fans eager to see what Nintendo is cooking up for the 2026 holiday season might not have to wait long, as new evidence is making a September 10 Nintendo Direct look likely. That evidence in question is Just Dance: Decades of Hits. A recent leak saw gameplay from the upcoming Ubisoft title circulate online, leading to an official statement from the game's official X account . Far from simply acknowledging the leak, Ubisoft actually told players when they can expect a proper, official look at the game--September 10. "We're committed to sharing the complete picture with you on September 10, and we sincerely thank you for your patience and continued support in the meantime," Ubisoft's statement reads. https://twitter.com/justdancegame/status/2093013175197130759?s=20 As highlighted by Nintendo Everything , Just Dance titles frequently appear during Nintendo Directs, with last year's Just Dance 2026 Edition announced during a summer presentation. Nintendo also has a history of premiering a Nintendo Direct ahead of the Tokyo Game Show, which kicks off on September 17 this year. The September 10 date then is looking promising, especially when combined with Nintendo's previous history. We recently explained why a September Nintendo Direct is likely to happen ; there has been an early-to-mid September Nintendo Direct almost every year for the past decade (with a late August direct in 2024 being the one exception). We'll know if the September 10 date is real by September 9 at the latest, as Nintendo has a history of announcing a Direct with around 24 hours notice.  Even without taking into account whatever surprises Nintendo is potentially saving for the end of the year or the first half of 2026, the house of Mario already has two exclusive games fans are expecting more details and release dates for-- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake and From Software's The Duskbloods .  Both are slated to release in 2026 but don't yet have official release dates. In Zelda's case, we know almost nothing about the remake aside from a short teaser that lacked any gameplay , leading to fans wildly speculating on every aspect of information revealed so far. It seems safe to assume Nintendo's next Direct will give fans a more in-depth look.  Those eagerly anticipating The Duskbloods got a chance to go hands-on with From Software's latest multiplayer experiment in a recent network test--one that reportedly saw more interest than Elden Ring Nightreign and left us eager to play more .  In addition to the two games above, Nintendo may also look to celebrate The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary. A recent leak showed a special Zelda-themed Switch 2 , which could be officially announced at a potential September 10 Nintendo Direct.

The Halo franchise remains synonymous with the Xbox brand, but many might agree that it has seen better days. Xbox's new CEO, Asha Sharma, has now commented on Halo's future, saying in an interview that Halo remains a "very key franchise" for Xbox and that Microsoft is taking a long-term view about reviving it. "The thing that I am learning about great games is that they have a long history and heritage and we can take a long-term view. I am confident that Halo is a very important part of our portfolio. It is a very key franchise. It represents a very key memory structure and way that people want to play," she told the BBC . "I am focused on that. We'll have more news to share on Halo going forward." The latest entry in the Halo series was this past July's Halo: Campaign Evolved, a remaster of the 2001 original game released this year to celebrate the game's 25th anniversary. The game, which represented Halo's debut on PlayStation, was generally well-received, but apparently had a slow start for sales . Industry analyst Rhys Elliott lamented the slowing sales and diminishing profile of Halo as a franchise in general after the series peaked, in his eyes, with Halo 3 and Halo: Reach years ago. “One can’t help wondering what could have been if Halo had kept the trajectory it had around Halo 3 and Reach. A remake of the game that started it all landing this softly on a new platform makes me pretty sad, as a Halo fan,” he wrote. There are more Halo games in development, including one that’s been described as  “like Fortnite”  with regards to its live-service approach. Remakes of Halo 2 and Halo 3 are said to be in the works as well. Developer Halo Studios has said  future Halo games will also be on PlayStation , but those comments came before Sharma became Xbox CEO and  pledged to release more exclusive games for Xbox . Halo co-creator on how to "make a great Halo again" Halo's co-creator and the designer of Master Chief, Marcus Lehto, said online recently that a "big concern" he foresees about reviving Halo is how much it might cost. He said Microsoft making a "fully featured Halo" game would likely cost between $600 million-$800 million, and take four or more years to make. Lehto, who hasn't worked on Halo in a long time, said he does not anticipate Microsoft spending that much or taking that much time. In another post , Lehto said a large corporation like Microsoft is a "terribly inefficient machine." He added that a "smaller indie team driven by seasoned devs, filled with a good mix of newer hungry talent as well, and minimal management layers is probably the only viable way to make a great Halo again." Finally, Lehto revealed that Halo 3's budget was about $40 million for development, with as much as $30 million spent on marketing. He said Halo: Reach, meanwhile, cost about $120 million, though he did not clarify if this was inclusive of both development and marketing expenses.

"See you, space cowboy". Naughty Dog has completed Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’s “very ambitious” motion capture shoot, meaning the game has crossed another major milestone. While this certainly doesn’t mean development is complete, it does indicate that all of the cut-scene performances have now wrapped. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

We're only a few months away from the November launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 , and following the recent preview of the game on Netflix, fans have even more questions about Rockstar's highly anticipated game--namely, just how big is the download going to be? We already know that you can preload the game a week before launch , but is that because you'll need multiple days to download all the files? GTA 6 fans are currently speculating just how big the install is going to be, with the majority of people taking part in a ResetEra poll guessing that it'll clock in between 100GB to 250GB. That's a fairly generous margin--and highly likely--given the history of Rockstar's previous games and the current state of game-install sizes. Considering that GTA 6 is a download-only game --physical copies are just a code in a box--you're going to want to make some space available on your PS5 or Xbox Series X|S. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0 For example, Red Dead Redemption 2 requires approximately 105GB to 150GB, depending on your platform, and was released in 2018. Video games have only gotten bigger and even more detailed since then, leveraging the power of modern hardware to create detailed worlds. High-resolution graphic textures and detailed character models only add to the install-size bloat, with some games even offering options to reduce that digital footprint by selectively installing parts of the experience. Call of Duty was a prime example, as the game typically offers an option to install it piecemeal . Modern Call of Duty games used to be up to 150GB in size, and once you started slotting in extra content like the Call of Duty HQ unified launcher, shared texture packs for older titles, Call of Duty: Warzone, and carry-forward content, the install size neared 300GB. Fortunately, things started to change with the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, as the developers made big changes to the installation process. Other game developers have also made an effort to better optimize their titles, as Marvel Rivals is now considerably smaller on PC and consoles, so there's hope that Rockstar Games has used some technical wizardry to make the download more manageable--after all, with the rising price of memory, not everyone has the budget to give their console a quick SSD upgrade just for a single game.

Mega busters at the ready, because the super fighting robot Mega Man is back in mainline classic action after almost a decade sitting on the sidelines, and he’s got a few new tricks up his sleeve this time around. The initial reveal of Mega Man: Dual Override during The Game Awards last year had me jumping and sliding with excitement,... The post Our first hands-on impressions of Mega Man: Dual Override appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

The Pokemon Company International announced a new anime movie called Pokemon: Wild Card that focuses on the TCG and the character Mimikyu. Only a brief teaser appeared. It suggested this will show up in “2027 and beyond,” suggesting there could be more to this trading card game-associated project.  The first trailer for this Pokemon film highlights the two main characters of the anime and the TCG imagery associated with it. We first see the back of a card from the trading card game. That then turns around to transition into a scene where we see Mimikyu sitting on railing while staring at the moon. After that, we see an individual at a table playing the TCG. They wear a yellow hooded jacket with black stripes on it. When they look up as they are about to make a movie, we see they have black hair and yellow eyes. Here’s that first video: Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ The trailer notes that Cloverworks is working on this Pokemon anime. That studio also worked on My Dress-Up Darling and Spy x Family . The most recent expansion was Mega Evolution: Pitch Black . However, another is around the bend, as the Mega Evolution Delta Reign expansion is due to arrive in October 2026. The Pokemon: Wild Card movie will appear in 2027. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Dates, times, and what to expect. Sony has announced a double-bill of State of Play presentations , giving PS5 players updates on a wide range of games before focusing in on Japanese titles. It's all happening very soon, so let's go over the details in this guide. We'll tell you when is PlayStation's State of Play for September 2026 and everything else you'll need to know. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

A Plague Tale? Beast of Reincarnation? As the final day of August falls upon us, it's only natural we cast our gaze to September and the next batch of Xbox Game Pass goodies. But before we do, let's take a moment to look back at what turned out to be a pretty mixed bag in August. Some of the beefier additions include Beast of Reincarnation and Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy , but we also had some decent indies in Date Everything! and Blood Dungeon . Read the full article on purexbox.com

Visual effects changed and a new pet for the Hideout. Ubisoft has detailed what you can expect from the next Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced update on PS5, which is going live tomorrow, 1st September 2026. It's a 1. 53GB download on the PS5 and comes with new visual changes like the ability to hide your pistols, the removal of glints from perk effects, and another new pet you can add to the Hideout. I'll let the patch notes speak to all the bug fixes and minor updates, but this seems to be a small patch for fixes under the hood rather than one packing brand new content. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Housemarque's Ilari Kuittinen exits. Developer Housemarque says farewell to Ilari Kuittinen, one of its co-founders, after 31 years at the company. The news comes alongside a lengthy final message, shared to social media today: Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Square Enix announced a horde of Chrono Trigger merchandise based on characters from the JRPG and confirmed among the items will be plush toys of Frog and Robo. Everything is expected to appear in Japan on February 3, 2027. Some of the items are tied to the Orchestra Concert soundtrack performance , like an acrylic diorama, mug, t-shirt, tote bag, and pair of pins. The US storefront isn’t showing pre-orders for any of the pieces yet, but we should see them worldwide on that store and Amazon . The Chrono Trigger Frog and Robo plush are two of three plush characters in this latest merchandise drop. The third one is Nu. Robo is tallest, as the character sits at almost eight inches tall (200mm), and it is also the most expensive of the three as it costs 5,280 yen (~$33) . Frog is almost six inches tall (150mm), in comparison, and costs 4,180 yen (~$26) . Nu is the smallest, sitting at about five inches (130mm), and that costs 3,080 yen (~$19) .  Here’s how those three Chrono Trigger plush will look:

Images via Square Enix As for the other pieces of Chrono Trigger merchandise based on the Orchestra Concert and characters, here’s a list of the other items Square Enix will sell. Acrylic Stand (Ayla, Chrono, Frog, Lucca, Marle, Magus, or Robo): 1,980 (~$12) Laptop PC Case: 5,500 yen (~$34) Mouse Pad (Type-A, Type-B, or Type-C): 3,850 yen (~$24) Orchestra Concert Acrylic Diorama: 3,850 yen (~$24) Orchestra Concert Art Board: 2,530 yen (~$16) Orchestra Concert Hand Towel: 1,980 yen (~$12) Orchestra Concert Mug: 2,860 yen (~$18) Orchestra Concert Pin Set (Chrono and Marle): 2,200 yen (~$14) Orchestra Concert T-Shirt: 5,500 yen (~$34) Orchestra Concert Tote Bag: 2,750 yen to (~$17) Pixel Art Keychain Collection: 1,980 (~$12) for one random keychain, 13,860 yen (~$87) for a box of seven  Sticker Set: 2,200 (~$14) You can see each of the pieces in the gallery below.

Images via Square Enix As a reminder, that Chrono Trigger Orchestra Concert: Melodies Across Time does have three US performances as part of its schedule. It will appear in New York on October 10, 2026, Chicago on October 14, 2026, and Los Angeles on October 18, 2026. All of these new Chrono Trigger items will debut in Japan on February 3, 2027, and we’ll likely see it worldwide soon after that. The game is on the SNES, DS, PS1, PC, and mobile devices. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Out of nowhere, Sony has announced that free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is now on PlayStation 5, allowing people to watch movies and TV shows for free, in exchange for watching ads. FAST programming is growing in popularity, and some of the current market leaders include Roku, Tubi, and Pluto, among others. FAST content was already on PS5 through dedicated apps for some of those services, but now Sony is launching its own FAST channel. For its part, Microsoft offers some FAST channels apps like Tubi and Pluto on Xbox as well. Available on PS5 in the US, the new "Live TV on PS5" comes from Sony's own Sony Pictures Television. There are more than 100 live channels, as well as on-demand programming spanning news, sports, movies, TV shows, and anime. Here's how to access it on your PS5: Go to the  Media  tab: Select the  Live TV on PS5  icon.  Select  “Sign In With My PlayStation Account”  to connect your PlayStation account and start watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txpaWqfcFFU Some of the content available includes movies from MovieSphere, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits, and Cinevault. Some of the TV shows people can watch include The Walking Dead, Community, Unsolved Mysteries, and Hell's Kitchen. Anime programming available on the service includes Naruto, Sailor Moon, and Death Note, as well as some Crunchyroll channels. For sports fans, programming from Fox Sports, Nascar, NBC Sports Now, and UFC are available. There are also news and weather channels, along with "creator" content like Hot Ones and The Ringer programming. Live TV on PS5 will be updated over time with more channels and content, while Sony said it’s looking to expand it to Canada and other regions later. FAST is a growing segment of the entertainment landscape. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Netflix are also mulling plans for FAST content as well. Before this, Sony operated the paid live TV service PlayStation Vue, but the company shut it down in 2020 due in part to how expensive it was to operate.

Today, Janbeh Games announced its new game Everything Must Fit for Nintendo Switch. The project will be wrapped up for arrival in 2026. Everything Must Fit is a cozy but chaotic puzzle game in which you transform, combine, and break items to arrange them to fit the grid. Over 80 different challenges are included. We’ve got more information in the... The post Everything Must Fit announced for Nintendo Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Tales of Formentera is coming to Nintendo Switch courtesy of Ratalaika Games and Three Monkeys, they’ve announced. The title launches this Friday, September 4. Tales of Formentera is an adventure game in which you’ll explore an island and uncover its stories and ancient legends. Expect to discover hidden places, solve puzzles, collect unique items, and help islanders with optional side... The post Tales of Formentera hitting Nintendo Switch this week appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced Live TV on PS5, a free ad-supported streaming application by … Source

TV TV TV. Sony has announced Live TV on PS5, a new application in PS5's Media section that does just what it says on the tin. The free, ad-supported app is launching later today (31st August 2026) in the United States. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Starting later today, Live TV on PS5 will be available to PS5 players in the U. S., offering a free ad-supported experience from Sony Pictures Television. Players can discover more than 100 live channels and a growing selection of on-demand entertainment including news, sports, movies, TV shows, anime and more – all from the Media section of the PS5 console. Players can access Live TV on PS5 from the console’s home screen by following these steps: Go to the Media tab: Select the Live TV on PS5 icon.  Select “Sign In With My PlayStation Account” to connect your PlayStation account and start watching. At launch, Live TV on PS5 will feature a broad mix of programming across movies, TV, anime, sports, news and more. Play Video

Here are some of the featured entertainment and programming available at launch: Movies – Free movies across action, horror, sci-fi and more, with channels including MovieSphere by Lionsgate, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits and Cinevault. TV Shows – Fan-favorite programming including Community, The Shield, Hell’s Kitchen, The Walking Dead, Forensic Files, Unsolved Mysteries, Deal or No Deal USA and Fear Factor, plus Ice Road Truckers from A+E’s HISTORY. Anime – Anime favorites including Naruto, Sailor Moon, Hunter x Hunter, Death Note and more, including exclusive channels Black Clover and Box Sets channels from Crunchyroll. Sports – Sports programming from FOX Sports, NASCAR, NBC Sports Now, UFC and more spanning MMA, football, hockey, motorsports, golf, boxing and soccer News & Weather – National, local and international coverage including NBC News Now, Fox Weather, and LiveNOW from FOX Creator & Specialty Programming – Programming featuring Hot Ones, Spotify’s The Ringer, Futcrunch, Idle Mode, comedy, action sports, gaming, esports and other creator-led content. Additional Programming – Discover gaming and esports, creator-led entertainment, documentaries, podcasts and other specialty programming, including eCLUTCH (exclusive) and more.  Live TV on PS5 will continue to evolve with regularly refreshed programming, new channels and additional content over time. We’re also looking to expand the experience to Canada and will continue to explore additional regions. We hope you enjoy this new easy way to discover and watch free entertainment directly on PS5. Programming availability may vary by local TV markets and may change over time. Find more information on PlayStation.com .

It's reviewing very well! It's a busy day for review embargoes, with critics sharing their final verdicts on Onimusha: Way of the Sword , and now The Blood of Dawnwalker , and it looks like they're both bangers! Read the full article on purexbox.com

The "Netflix-style service" Bleemcast! is available now as a beta. If you cast your mind back to last year, you may remember Piko Interactive launching a failed Kickstarter for a project called Bleem.net, named after the famous PS1 emulator from the early 2000s for the Sega Dreamcast . Pitched as "the ultimate retro platform", the idea for Bleem.net was for it to act as an all-encompassing digital game marketplace where players could purchase games both physically and digitally (DRM-free), buy "a variety of merchandise, toys, and comics," and access video games and "hundreds of hours of animated and live-action series" on demand. However, after the campaign went live, funding fell far short of expectations, leading Piko Interactive's founder, Eli Galindo, to announce that he had decided to split the animation and comic parts of the service into separate projects, distinct from the more traditional gaming elements. Read the full article on timeextension.com

Following an indefinite delay and Bandai Namco stepping down as a publisher, Fate/Extra Record is now an Aniplex game. There’s also movement on possible progress, as the company launched a new website and social media account that will be updated in the coming weeks and months. This also comes as Director Kazuya Niino left Type-Moon Studio BB and left the remake project , citing his health. [Thanks, Gematsu !] Because of this shift, the existing Fate/Extra Record site and social media will shut down due to Aniplex appearing as the new publisher and distributor for the game. Past posts on the account are wiped and the pages are inaccessible. Notices on both now state those will on September 7, 2026 as part of the transition. Said changes will also affect the development team , with more news on that on the way. The new site and social media account didn’t offer any updated details yet. We haven’t heard too many updates regarding the Fate/Extra Record remake in the last few years. Type-Moon first announced it back in July 2020 and confirmed it’s an update of the original Fate/Extra. We saw some gameplay footage and trailers in 2020 and 2021 . During FGO Fes 2024 , it got a 2025 release window. However, it was later delayed until “ Spring 2026 ,” then delayed indefinitely. Fate/Extra Record is in development at Aniplex and the game is expected to appear on the Switch, PS4, PS5, and PC. The original Fate/Extra did appear worldwide on the PSP. We may earn a commission if you purchase from certain links. Learn more here .

Developer Cold Symmetry continues to tinker with Mortal Shell 2 , recently dropping a massive update that makes some substantial changes to its latest souls-like action-RPG. Alongside buffing certain weapons and fixing some glitches, the team has also addressed the game's greedy economy by making a few finite resources more plentiful around the world. Released on August 29, Mortal Shell 2's Week 1 Update makes some of the game's heaviest weapons stronger to compensate for their slowness. For example, the Obsidian Hammer hits way harder, and The Great Martyr's Blade had its damage output increased to make up for this change missing in the last patch . Overall, Cold Symmetry said that heavier weapons deal way more damage and poise now. The headlining feature, though, is the overhaul to the economy. Before this patch, Glimpses (a currency used to upgrade your shells ) and Tarcores (a currency used to upgrade your Tarstones ) were incredibly limited in the world. With this new patch, however, both currencies are much more plentiful in the game. To start, Tarcores are easier to collect now through a new set of items known as Fragile Tarstones. These pieces of equipment break after their durability depletes and, once broken, they yield Tarcores so you can upgrade your favorite Tarstones to their max levels more reliably. Glimpses are the same. There's a similar Glimpse Stone that, once shattered, gifts you some Glimpses to max out whatever shell you're maining or interested in. Although Mini-Beacons no longer reward you with Glimpses, you can get some by interacting with the Gloom Siphon at the Marrow Keep after collecting Ova. And while you couldn't refund Glimpses once you invested them into a shell before, a new Mether's Severance item acts as a respec feature, which now lets you refund any Glimpses you poured into any shell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFBxlvKuHMg&pp=0gcJCSsdAYcqIYzv Further, the shopkeeper Merrick also sells Glimpse Stones and Tarcores, so you can max level your favorite shells and Tarstones in a single playthrough. This is such a fundamental and welcome change that makes the economy much more forgiving. Before this patch, experimentation was almost discouraged because of how limited Glimpses and Tarcores were, making a New Game+ almost mandatory if you actually wanted to see the full potential of the shells. Now, with this change, you can flip-flop between shells or just max them all out without having to run through the game again. The same is true of Tarcores, too, so that's cool. There are a handful of other tweaks in this patch as well. A few bosses have been addressed, some glitches have been ironed out, ripostes deal more damage, and enemies don't chase you forever anymore. The caveat? The Week 1 Update is currently only available on PC. Cold Symmetry said that because console patch certification takes longer , there's no date for when this update will hit PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. However, the team aims to "get it to consoles" as soon as they can. You can check the full Week 1 Update patch notes below. Be warned, though, it's long. Full Mortal Shell 2 Week 1 Update Patch Notes New Items Fragile Tarstones - A new class of Tarstone which breaks after losing durability. When breaking, they also yield a tarcore. Glimpse Stone - Wears down as you defeat enemies, then breaks into Glimpses Egon's Stone - Revive at the entrance of a dungeon at the cost of its durability, and when it breaks it prevents Gloom loss for that death. Justicar’s Stone and Gloombound Stone are now fragile, have increased passive effects and added on break effects. Fragile Tarstones are not unique and can be found multiple times during a playthrough. Existing copies of Jusicar’s and Gloombound have been converted to Fragile. Certain enemies now drop the new fragile Tarstones, several dungeons now reward them, and Merrick has taken an interest in selling them. Economy Glimpses and Tarcores are no longer finite resources, allowing all shells and Tarstones to be upgraded in a single playthrough. Mether's Severance is a shell respec item which can be given to Zhirelle, the shell keeper. In exchange she will sever your bond with a Shell, resetting it and granting you all spent glimpses back. Tarstones now yield more tarcores when broken. If your save already has leveled up Tarstones, you’ll find a compensatory cache of Tarcores in your inventory. Tarstones and Mether’s Severance can be purchased from Merrick and will restock occasionally when progressing through the game. Exploration New Beacons have appeared throughout Fainweald and Mammon, but are only active during the day. Two new cosmetic rewards can be found in the world once completing certain questlines. New items have been added to the world, and some problematic chests have been reset. Egon's Stone can revive you at a dungeon's entrance when you die inside it, and spares your Gloom for that death when it breaks. A teleporter now appears in one dungeon after the Grisha pit fight, removing the walk back entirely. You still haven’t found the second Trollweed. Rewards and Economy We have changed how many Tarcores a Tarstone returns when tempered, so anyone who leveled up Tarstones before this patch will find some additional tarcores in their inventory to make up the difference. Merrick's stock has expanded, with Glimpse Stones, Egon's Stones and Tarcores once you have gathered enough Ova. The Collector now carries Tarcores as well. Dungeon reward chests across the first two regions have been revised, reward placement in Mammon has been updated, and missing rewards in the arena dungeons restored. Some reward chests in the world have been replaced with straightforward pickups. Additional rewards, including Glimpses, added to the gloom siphon. Mini-Beacons no longer award a Glimpse. Weapons, Items and Balance Obsidian Hammer has had a full balance pass and now hits substantially harder. The Great Martyr's Blade deals more damage. It was a pity it didn’t actually make it in the last patch, to make up for it, it’s even stronger now. Heavy weapons in general have had a poise and damage pass. Salvaged Trebuchaxe: Tiltshot has been redesigned. It was simultaneously overpowered and broken. Axatana: its weapon ability now grants invulnerability frames and inflicts Fragile stacks, and its combat Tarstone active triggers correctly. Weltcap is stronger in both its active and passive forms. Base aggression and disengage ranges have been retuned across the game. Fixed enemies ignoring you while walking to a patrol point, retreating unreasonably far when unable to reposition, and being unable to attack while locked onto a different target. Fixed Tarstones continuing to gather experience after reaching maximum level, and missing tooltips on a number of Tarstones. Environmental status hazards have been reworked, including a new handler for Stasis. Shells Eredrim: Shoulder Bash no longer leaves your primary weapon permanently stowed. Proxima: the same fix applies to Biosampler, she can no longer become stuck in her hook shot, and an arm that was being pulled unnaturally straight has been corrected. Genessa: dashes have been fixed, including the corrupted version. Losing a Shell no longer breaks her paired animations, and her Intangible upgrade now works during grab attacks Fixed astral copies drifting away from their intended target. Doubles select targets better and switch targets when their original dies, rather than standing idle. Smert: can destroy projectiles while in permanent fight stance. Gragu: the Heart of Vatra no longer trails after you in sheep form, and his helmet uses the correct material. Blood now marks Shell skins correctly across the roster. Fixed Shell summon interactions, and Tarstone summons occasionally targeting you. Bosses and Minibosses Most bosses in the game have received a general polish pass and bugfixes. The Monolith in particular has received a broad combat polish and bugfix pass. Its laser and spin attacks now have more consistent, readable timings and do not spam (this was a bug). We’ve also refined animation timings, adjusted bad hitboxes and fixed a nasty bug which was causing it to deal double damage on certain hits. Zmey’s Tail grab no longer simultaneously takes both the Shell and Harbinger from 100-0. We heard some of you don’t like getting one-shotted, for whatever reason. In night mode it’s ON, though. Zmey’s Ring Waves align to the ground properly and his elemental stomps have new effects. The Lost Child no longer launches you, or himself, across the arena. He now uses the finished walk animation rather than the placeholder that shipped, his bite anticipation has been retimed, his riposte no longer wobbles as it begins, and a rare case of endless blood effects has been fixed. Droeg, the Conquerer has had his arena navigation repaired, his riposte alignment and physical hit reactions corrected, and a substantial visual pass over his fire and snowfall effects that also improve performance. Sir Isaac, the Scholar-Prince has had his arena navigation repaired, a stray lunge removed from one second-phase attack, and his phase transition riposte fixed against a wall. Hexapod deals considerably more splash damage with his area attack, can no longer interrupt his own shooting attack, and has had one attack retimed to be fairer. His arena is smaller and its beacon light is lit by default, which makes the fight far easier to read. He can no longer wedge himself into the environment during his dive. Orrem was displaying the wrong name in game, which has been corrected. Stray effects have been removed from his death animations, the fire on his axe no longer flickers. Orrem, the Reclaimed has had his attack and riposte alignment improved. Malborn Offspring no longer interrupts his own sword throw, and will reliably pick his sword back up. The Warden and Urrig, the Executioner have both been reworked, with retuned attacks, new ice attacks and corrected effects. Urrig's spin now gives a proper warning that it cannot be parried. Vrannic, the Grand Illusionist has new projectile VFX trails. Magdalena, the Lady of the Woods no longer rotates incorrectly during her charge. Bloodcursed Lithopod no longer glitches when colliding with other enemies, no longer nudges you into the air when you are standing still, and has had its damage, turning and jump attacks retuned. Tainted Vestige ranged attacks no longer miss without reason, and The Wandering Shepherd now teleports sensibly within his arena. Bugs, Softlocks and Getting Stuck Fixed getting stuck near the closed castle gates Fixed getting stuck in a church in the opening region Fixed getting stuck in a house in the sunken village dungeon, inside Fixed getting stuck in Castigator's Keep by walking through a wall Fixed getting stuck in the snow on the approach to Droeg's arena Fixed getting stuck in a hole in the ground in Eredrim's castle jail Collision holes, ground gaps and missing collision have been patched throughout the first two regions. Softlocks and Lost Progress Fixed an interrupted save being able to destroy your save file. Saves are now written so that a crash or a sudden shutdown cannot leave you with nothing. Fixed a bug with Vatra’s Temple where players would be locked out permanently after exploring the area. Fixed a potential crash and softlock during Lazlo's Rekindle. Fixed a softlock when speaking to the barkeep after Gragu's death but before collecting him. Fixed a softlock if you were struck while inside Hilga's Cauldron, and the interface failing to return when you climbed out. Fixed declining the cutscene at a Shell unlock leaving you invisible and invulnerable until you restarted. Objects and Interactables Fixed an iron maiden that could trap you as it opened, a lift lever that snapped the lift back to its starting position, and a wooden lift that could kill you on the way up. Fixed a chest that destroyed itself, several chests that became unreliable after loading a save, and offerings failing to register in a locked chest. Fixed gates in the Temple of Vatra that could strand your Gloom somewhere you could not reach it, and corrupted gates that would not clear if approached from the sewers. Fixed items in the opening region hidden inside collision, which made them impossible to pick up. Fixed a ceiling collapse triggering at the wrong moment, and a light puzzle with two candles that had stopped being connected to it. Sitting down (hopefully) no longer launches you into the sky, it never happened to us but we saw some of you go flying. Encounters and Spawning Fixed enemies visible before they had spawned in several encounters, and spawn triggers that did not cover the enemies they were meant to. Fixed being able to lure Vellen, High Lord of Mammon out of his arena, and being able to interact with a traversal point during a boss fight. Fixed resting at one late Beacon drawing enemies onto you, and mis-referenced spawners in a late encounter. Fixed an infinite Ossinite farm, an exploit that allowed unlimited healing, and shield-carrying enemies becoming effectively immortal against one type of projectile. Fixed personal items being unavailable until a restart if you had played the prologue. The Wandering Shepherd's Sheep properly respawn when playing NG+. We Found Out About the Grishas Fixed a Grisha that respawned indefinitely in one dungeon, astral Grishas spawning embedded in the floor, and enemies becoming stuck on geometry. (rip Grishamancer) The Grisha PP item active is now stronger, its passive spawning has been fixed, and its summon no longer displays attack warnings intended for enemies. Parrying, Dodging and Ripostes Player riposte damage now scales with enemy health, so the damage keeps up properly with late game, NG+, and Night Mode. Invulnerability windows are now consistent between ripostes, and last through to the end of the animation rather than expiring partway. Many player riposte recoveries end sooner, so control returns to you faster. Riposte animations across the entire enemy roster now behave when your back is to a wall, rather than sliding you through it. Riposte damage is now calculated and applied by the riposte itself, which resolves cases where it applied twice or not at all. Fixed Proxima's riposte alignment against  Enemy Tracking and Hit Detection Enemy tracking and magnetism maximums have been restricted, and will continue to be adjusted on an individual basis in future patches. Fixed projectiles that failed to register against enemy weak points, and sidearm projectiles choosing the wrong target. Fixed brigand shield collision that could launch you into the air, and projectiles failing to appear in the shield. Several enemies, including Lithopods, now align to sloped ground correctly, and dungeon champions now stand on the ground. Fallen wooden bridges are now easier to hit, and destructible carts use better collision. Fixed corrosion failing to apply after a projectile had been reused. Story, Characters and Scenes Characters no longer turn, stare, drift or fade at the wrong moment across a long list of scenes, including Rickart in The Search and Resignation, Eredrim in Immaculate Path, Tiel in The Bottle, and Vratko during his dance. Fixed overlapping and skippable dialogue in several memories, and retimed voice and sound in The Vision, The Search and The Censer. Fixed story moments taking too long to appear. Milos no longer falls silent at random, and greets you properly before moving on. Zhirelle's dialogue is now cleared before a memory begins. Merrick, Vratko and Egon can no longer be interrupted while dying. Franz's conversations now trigger in the correct order, and he returns to his crank after being interrupted. Marigold no longer starts two conversations at once, and the barkeeper no longer speaks to you through the tavern wall. Baghead can no longer be damaged, and his ending no longer unlocks early. Grisha Hunters now hold their weapons, Grisha Pups have new reactions, and the Grisha Matron can be harmed by ranged weapons. Larreth, the Brigand King now appears without his helmet, and his guards no longer vanish if you kill him first. Ruk's greetings react to your progress, and his dialogue no longer remains on screen when you enter a boss fight. Egon's interactions now refresh after offerings, and interaction problems with Gorf have been resolved. Corrected a subtitle that did not match the recorded line in Ruk's dialogue about the Lost Child, along with a considerable number of typos and missing punctuation. Interface and Map Weapon level now appears in the inventory slot. Fixed the map offering objectives you had already completed. Fixed the camera key appearing blank in the launcher on mouse and keyboard, and the interact key ignoring your rebinding. Fixed resetting "hide subtitles" to its default hiding the subtitles instead. Fixed the Change Shade option disappearing after opening the Change Masks menu. Fixed overlapping text in the Shell revive message in Simplified Chinese, long Tarstone names colliding with the temper notification, panels and icons overlapping at higher interface scales, and misaligned details on Mether's Breath. Added a tutorial scale setting, with a separate one for console, and polished a number of tutorials. Clearer colorblind setting descriptions, an updated open gate icon, and proper icons when a mask unlocks. Audio New riposte stingers, and restored missing riposte audio for the Bloodcursed Lithopod. New sounds for Fragile Tarstones wearing down and breaking. Enemies can now be given an audible warning for unparryable attacks. Ambient sound no longer stacks when several sources overlap. Village dance music no longer collapses to a single point as you approach. You no longer continue bleating after transforming back from a sheep. Reprocessed older voice recordings. Added several missing sounds including the Marrow Keep elevator lever. Fixed Lazlo's armor loop. Fixed the saved audio device being selected at startup when it no longer exists. New speaker presets. Performance Fewer enemies in some of the busiest areas, where the crowd was costing frame rate rather than adding difficulty. Spawners in the dense prison area have been rebuilt. Fixed the significant hitch shortly after the shader compilation screen. That work now happens while you are still in the menu. Fixed the frame rate drop when cleansing tar gates. Fixed flickering textures. Several rounds of dungeon lighting optimisation, and optimisation passes over Droeg's effects, the final boss arena, lightning, village buildings, stairs, books and library interiors. The arrow volleys in the final siege no longer arrive all at once. Reduced background work across weapons, hit detection and movement, returning a meaningful amount of frame time on console. Improved rendering of destructible objects. Fixed corrupted terrain in several places and rebuilt the affected landscapes. Crashes and Stability A substantial number of crash fixes, covering enemy spawning, audio, attribute changes, interface loading, save loading and shutdown. Removed some settings that were implicated in graphics driver crashes, and added a crash diagnostics option. Crash reports now carry considerably more context, which makes the crashes that remain much easier for us to locate. Improved handling of Steam ownership checks, and updated to the current Steamworks release for better Steam Deck detection and controller support. Options, Platforms and Controls Increased Geometry Budgets, a new graphics option. Off by default, which uses less video memory; turn it on if you have memory to spare. Frame generation has been reworked. It now applies after a reload rather than conflicting in real time, which the description states, and it no longer switches on before the world has finished loading. NVIDIA frame generation can now be selected on a much wider range of cards. Switch Pro and Switch Pro 2 controllers are supported, with an option to swap their glyphs. Steam Deck and Steam Controller now display the correct buttons. The game now defaults to your monitor's native resolution, and pauses when a system overlay opens. Fixed issue with raytracing options not working as intended Fixed post-process options that had no effect, and firing not working on some controllers. Rumble now triggers correctly for riposte damage, held attacks, Beacon interactions and dungeon transitions, and has had a broad pass across sidearms, items and Shell abilities. Miscellaneous Mutton is now immune to damage, he’s been through enough. Known Issues Possible Malborn Offspring bug when using Grisha Remnant Summon during boss fight

Our hour-long demo behind closed doors at Gamescom gave us hope that Atari has nailed the classic gameplay loop-the-loop… Source

The Brazilian Ministry of Justice and Public Security has rated the unannounced Romancing SaGa 3… Source

The price of an Xbox console today is higher than ever, and it was Microsoft's own massive push into the AI space that led to this, at least in part. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has now reacted to this ironic development, saying in an interview that she thinks it's great that GPUs are being used for technology outside of gaming, even if it means Xbox consoles are more expensive than ever. "Gaming has always been a proving ground for the GPU. I think it is wonderful that there are more uses for this technology around the world," she told the BBC . "AI is fundamentally changing a lot of things. So our job as Xbox, as we continue on our next generation, is to take into consideration what's happening in the world and build the best experience for our players." Following multiple rounds of price increases, the cheapest new Xbox--the Xbox Series S--now sells for $500, which is $200 more than what it cost at launch in 2020. Sharma said that for the next generation of consoles, including Microsoft's Helix platform, the company will need to think more about "efficiency and affordability, alongside performance." Sharma also stated that Helix may not be a single device but rather a group of systems. "We've been hard at work on a great next generation, a great family of devices for Helix, and we'll share more soon," she said. "We will of course continue to push the boundaries of performance. We've talked about being able to not only play your console games but also play your PC games on your console. I think in addition, all of the industry needs to innovate on affordability and efficiency. That is something that we have not had to [before]." Sharma said the "crisis" currently affecting the market for hardware and components is creating a situation in whichMicrosoft needs to innovate to give players more choice in "how they play their console and how they purchase their console." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92NCgo5zce0 For the latest Xbox price hike, Microsoft specifically directed people to consider using a Buy Now, Pay Later service or that they should buy a console through a provider offering 0% APR introductory financing. Microsoft also said people can buy a certified refurbished console to help get into gaming more affordably. The most expensive Xbox console ever, the 25th-anniversary translucent green console, just launched at $900 and sold out immediately . Additionally, Xbox console sales in the US recently doubled , so there have been some positive signs for Xbox hardware lately, but the overall trends in hardware spending have been negative . It's not just Xbox facing these issues, of course. Sony has raised the price of the PlayStation 5 multiple times, too, while Nintendo will hike the price of the Switch 2 on September 1.

Square Enix is making Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch, a ratings leak has revealed. This unannounced title was just classified in Brazil. As of now there’s not much else to go on given that it’s a simple listing for a rating. Here’s a look at the rating: Romancing SaGa 3 previously released in 2019.... The post Romancing SaGa 3: Destinies United leaked for Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Shift Up has shared new information about the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Stellar Blade, including information about the game’s frame rate, resolution, and DLSS usage. This comes as part of an interview with Nintendo Everything. If you watched the most recent trailer for the game, you may have noticed that the video was 60 FPS. We can indeed confirm... The post Stellar Blade dev confirms Nintendo Switch 2 frame rate and resolution, explains how DLSS is being used appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

When you can start pre-loading, playing, and streaming The Blood of Dawnwalker, plus New Zealand trick tips… Source

Very few of the many stories you'll encounter in The Blood of Dawnwalker end happily. It seems foolish to expect anything else from a dark, medieval action-RPG about a secluded valley ruled over by vampires who demand blood and subservience from its human populace. While hoping for anyone to get out unscathed is perhaps naive, it's impressive that developer Rebel Wolves manages to give just about every story enough depth and nuance to keep all that death and tragedy compelling all the way through. Dawnwalker is composed of what feels like a ridiculous number of quests. Due to its structure, they seem haphazardly constructed at first, with no dedicated throughline; only a story you construct by taking on whatever tasks you think are worth your limited time. What's shocking is that these quests, from the intricate stories of rebels fighting to free the valley and vampires following shadowy agendas, to the momentary tidbits of setup from a group of soldiers by the side of the road before you start hacking them apart with your sword, are so well-written. To the game's credit, there's a good chance you'll want to do everything in Dawnwalker. The fact that you can't is part of what makes it so compelling. https://youtu.be/947maH4t22E Dawnwalker's story is built on a ticking clock, and that feature is among the game's best ideas. You play as Coen, a human who loses his family to Brencis, the valley's vampire sovereign. Coen quickly comes to realize that Brencis is set to host a feast in 30 in-game days, so you have that long to make preparations and storm the castle to free the captured humans, doing whatever you can to strengthen yourself, gather allies, and figure out a plan before time runs out. Time advances when you take on or complete quests and activities. Each of these takes an allotted amount of time, so you're always weighing whether you want to dedicate time to one quest over another. Dilly dallying with other activities while a quest is active can change the situation or even cause it to end in failure, so stacking up 50 things to do is a bad idea. While you have enough time on your hands that you're not forced to consider every single hour you spend along the way, the sense that the clock is against you gives everything you do in Dawnwalker the feeling of weight and importance. It also might make you think twice about stopping to lend a hand to a minor character you meet, or choosing a merciful but time-consuming option over a more expedient but harmful one. Time also dictates the way that you address quests. At the end of the tutorial section, Coen is forcibly turned into a vampire, but thanks to this world's supernatural rules, he unexpectedly becomes a Dawnwalker--he transforms into a vampire when night falls but reverts to a human under the sun. During the day, the human Coen can do things like interact with shopkeepers or make his way into occupied settlements, looking like any other person; if he gets into a fight with Brencis's soldiers, he does it with a sword. At night, Coen is more deadly in a fight, but often more noticeable, and enemies tend to attack on sight. An area might be public during the day and off limits at night, so when you decide to solve a problem can change how you do so. And of course, some events only take place during the day, while others only happen at night.

The smartest way time is deployed against you is in Dawnwalker's progression system. Leveling happens passively as you gain experience points for completing quests and defeating enemies, kicking up your overall stats, but to unlock new abilities in combat or enhance elements like your life total and stamina bar, you need to do more. To add skills for the human Coen, you'll need to find and read books and manuals; for the vampire Coen, your skills unlock as you consume the blood of humans, animals, and other vampires. And unlocking perks costs points you'll earn from leveling, as well as time. This means that making yourself stronger forces tradeoffs. Do you want to power yourself up at the risk of failing or delaying a quest? I found that I was always sitting on perk points in Dawnwalker, waiting for when I was sure they wouldn't cost me key opportunities. As a result, sometimes I undertook quests without maximizing my capabilities. That push and pull makes leveling up a deliberate and important decision about how it might impact Coen's overall goal. Where this leveling system falls down is in what it actually offers. Coen has three different skill trees from which you can purchase perks, each keyed to a different part of his character. Coen's a gifted swordsman and can use his claws as a vampire, while he gets access to witchcraft powers when he's human.

The system presents you with a lot of options, many of which can be upgraded several times, and it feels purposely designed to create choice paralysis. Since you probably aren't investing in everything due to the time it'll cost, you're forced to think about what upgrades are going to matter most to you, and whether you're leaning too hard on one set of perks over the others, which might leave you vulnerable during certain times of day. The trouble is that the trees are filled with upgrades that don't always feel meaningful. Part of the weakness is that abilities are equipped into slots in your menu, and in order to equip more of them, you have to also unlock new slots by spending perk points and time. The limitation can incentivize you to equip a couple of active and passive abilities and never change them, effectively making the ones you don't equip dead spots on the tree. And since, for most abilities, you need to first find books to unlock them, you might be barred from a perk forever, or long enough that it doesn't matter enough to pursue it. Requiring so much thought about how you build Coen makes it easy to disregard a lot of your options, not out of purposefully constructing a character, but because of the quests you might choose arbitrarily throughout the game. I never did much with his witchcraft abilities, for instance, since they required me to spend health it often felt like Human Coen couldn't spare, and because their books weren't as easily available. I spent perk points on witchcraft abilities I never actually used much, and in the end wound up ignoring a lot of that skill tree in favor of the more practical sword skills.

And while you'll unlock some fun combat abilities, the fact that you might only use a couple of them for huge swathes of the game weakens Dawnwalker somewhat, because you'll be doing a ton of fighting. Brencis's soldiers dominate the valley, and while you'll talk your way through a lot of situations, combat is the main thrust of Dawnwalker's gameplay, so the rhythm of using the same few abilities can get stale. Dawnwalker's combat is pretty good nevertheless, bolstered by its focus on being directional. Coen swings his attacks in a particular direction, depending on where you hold the left analog stick, and the idea is that you want to beat an enemy's guard by swinging to avoid their blocks. In practice, directional swings are more haphazard and tough to use well, but also don't really matter. Where the directional combat really shines is in your defense--if you push the analog stick in the direction your opponent is swinging from and hit the block button at the right time, you can parry their blow and counterattack. How you fight is dictated by a stamina meter, and you use stamina for attacks, dodges, and Coen's "omniblock," which deflects any incoming blow. Blocking directionally, however, uses no stamina and actually kicks off its recovery, so in order to keep up the speed of a fight you need to be executing skillful blocks, lest you run out of stamina and get overwhelmed. Enemies often come at Coen in groups, too, so you have to watch out for people coming from the sides, who you can deflect away and hit briefly before returning to your main target.

It's a great system that gives fights the rhythm of a duel, with the back-and-forth between you and your opponent requiring quick reactions on your part, and all happening fast enough that you're rarely waiting for an attack to parry. With multiple enemies, you have to pay attention, and I genuinely felt like a world-class swordsman as I turned away opponent after opponent. Trading blows and parries builds up "activation points" that can be spent on special abilities like stunning enemies or hitting several at a time. And even though you'll play through hundreds of battles, the focus on quick reactions and executing on openings keeps them exciting, even when you're facing groups of soldiers who have been fighting more or less the same way for 40 hours. What irritations derive from combat come from the fact that you do so much of it, and how it feels is mostly dictated by the kinds of enemies coming for you. The directional combat approach is engaging, but it also means that fighting as Human Coen and Vampire Coen are very similar in function, despite their differences. As a vampire, Coen can fight with his claws, but they deflect blows from soldiers and monsters the same way a sword does. The major differences come from which special abilities you can use, which are often unblockable or interrupt enemy attacks. That fact can downgrade their use from being a tactical deployment at a key moment, to something you hit as soon as an activation point pops up and a move's cooldown runs out. Even though the human and vampire are intended to feel different, one more calculated and the other more aggressive, they wind up playing more or less the same way, especially over a long time. Another big difference in the two sides of combat comes from how you manage health. Vampire Coen has a bunch of perks that increase his survivability. You start with an ability that lets you briefly chomp on an enemy's neck to suck some of their blood and restore your health, which is a huge boon in the early game. The vampire side also has some extremely powerful perks like passive health regeneration, as well as ones that give health back when you parry and when you attack with your claws. You also get bonuses from weapons and armor that passively boost a bunch of traits, including health. By the end of the game, I felt functionally unkillable as a vampire as my health often regenerated faster than enemies could damage me.

As a human, fights are much more harrowing, since your healing options are limited to eating food between fights and using items equipped to quick slots during combat. You can't refill your quick slots while fighting, so you have to manage them carefully, and food is less effective in combat, pushing you to rely on medicines you can craft. Where you can restore health through combat abilities reliably as a vampire all game, as a human, you have to wait for openings to use a medicine, and make sure you pack enough to stay alive. This makes fighting as a human tough and active in interesting ways, but also incentivizes you to take on whatever battles you can with your safer and more powerful vampire abilities. Dawnwalker does include a decently granular difficulty system that you can adjust throughout the game, and it's definitely something you should mess with. You can separately adjust combat difficulty, dictating things like parry windows and the damage enemies inflict, and RPG difficulty, which governs elements like Coen's stamina costs and healing. At the default difficulty settings, it felt easy for the balance to get thrown off, so adjusting both was useful to keep Dawnwalker from getting frustratingly difficult or feeling too easy. While they don't always fire on all cylinders, what's notable about all these systems is how intricate and deliberate they are, how much the game wants you to think about the ways you interact with them, and how many cool swings they take. It's fun to think so deeply about how and when to level up, what armor and weapon bonuses are most important to your build, and what preparations you're going to need for a fight before you undertake it. Those elements give Dawnwalker's RPG systems a lot more depth and thoughtfulness than games in the genre often have.

Holding it all together are the many, many cool stories you'll find along the way. The valley is absolutely littered with quests, and to their credit, they all feel like they're worth doing. What's more, you have a ton of freedom about what you actually get up to as you push toward your goal of saving people, and you won't always know how a quest might provide you with friends who can help you later, or unlock new information and further steps. But the fact that they so often do helps stop most quests from seeming like detours, and instead, weaves them together to tell Coen's story through your very specific path through the game. Everything has an air of being consequential, especially because Coen and others are constantly mentioning important tidbits gleaned from other quests, or the consequences of past actions. Writing and voice acting is also strong throughout the game, making so much of what might otherwise be mundane open-world content unexpectedly compelling. Brencis has three lieutenants who run his operations in the valley, doing things like recruiting soldiers, gathering the blood of peasants, and keeping the masses entertained and docile. Disrupting those operations can eventually draw them out, triggering quests that give you opportunities to kill them so you won't have to face Brencis at full strength. And even a lot of these activities, which are ostensibly of the base-clearing variety, throw in interesting little stories. You might run into a mother trying to convince her soldier son to desert, and then get the choice to try to talk him into it through reasoning, intimidation, or bribery, lowering the difficulty of the battle against his remaining squad. Or you might find that, after clearing a few camps where peasants are paid to gather leeches to help store blood for the vampires, the commoners you're ostensibly trying to help at the remaining camps have taken up arms to help defend their livelihoods against you. The quests tied to each of Brencis's lieutenants are some of the best in the game, giving you opportunities to catch each one when they're vulnerable, and giving you a deep look into who they are. They're also full of tough, interesting choices, like when you're approached by a vassal of one lieutenant who wants to help you win a duel against him by poisoning the blood he drinks--which means poisoning an innocent person. How you deal with situations has material consequences and creates some great, small-scale dramas. A lot of the quests in Dawnwalker are still sticking with me days later, and I want to dive back in to follow the many plot threads that I missed or cut short.

Dawnwalker also throws in a very good idea to mess with the formula of giving you all these tough choices to make: the fact that you're a vampire. Often when talking to people, you'll see an option on your list of responses: "Give in to the hunger." As your health gets lower and you get hungrier, that option becomes more prevalent. It might hop around the list to try to trick you into selecting it, and other options might briefly change into the hunger option. If your health is low enough, you might not get the choice at all--the hunger will take over and your murderous nature will take out that character. It's a great idea that creates interesting and serious consequences. Killing someone, either on purpose or by accident, might wall off a quest you needed that person to complete, or change its circumstances. At the very least, people who would have played a larger part in the story won't be around later if they're dead. It injects a fun, unexpected drama into a game where you're already constantly choosing how you want to deal with people and what you're willing to do to achieve your goals. What's disappointing about the idea is that it's so easy to circumvent. I experienced Coen losing control during a Dawnwalker preview event, but playing it for review, it never happened again. The game puts up plenty of guard rails to help you avoid being forced into that situation, whether it's animals or other people you can briefly feed on, health bar enhancements that make it tougher to fall so low you can't stop yourself, or passive healing that lessens the risk. So I never got challenged by my vampire nature in a way that was out of my hands. It's a shame, because being forced to balance your health or perform well in a fight because of the risk you might pose to regular people is a great idea, and I wish Dawnwalker leaned into it more.

The game can also be a bit technically shaky, although its issues never reached above minor frustrations for me. Objects and textures pop in frequently, animations can hitch in conversations, some platforming sections see Coen slipping off walls or falling through the ground haphazardly, and hit boxes are occasionally a little finicky in combat. The limitations mostly result in briefly irritating sections, but they happen often enough to be notable, if not dealbreaking. Rebel Wolves has already patched out a lot of issues and plans a Day One update that should help things even more, but it's worth noting that you're going to see some jank that will affect the experience, so save often. Overall, The Blood of Dawnwalker is an incredibly ambitious, deeply interesting first game from Rebel Wolves. Not every good idea lands and not every envelope is pushed as far as it could be, but the potential of the game is vast, and there's a huge amount to lean into and love. And it's all bolstered by excellent writing that makes for one of the deepest and most interesting game worlds I've run across in some time. The Blood of Dawnwalker is the kind of RPG that feels great to get lost in, that digs into your mind and stays there, and which is worth scouring and savoring.

"Fighting is everything" is a phrase protagonist Miyamoto Musashi uses to explain his ethos, but it's an ideology that doubles as an accurate description of Onimusha: Way of the Sword, too. After a disappointing 20-year hiatus, Capcom's samurai series returns in fine form, ditching the fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds of its forebears for a modern reinvention where combat is king. The fifth mainline entry in the series still maintains key aspects of Onimusha's distinct identity, mixing Japanese history and mythology with the studio's penchant for inventive creature design, but infuses these aspects with layered melee skirmishes shaped by the past 20 years of action games. The shift to a semi-open-world structure is a stumbling block, but Way of the Sword still marks an excellent return for the long-dormant series by evolving its swordplay with captivating aplomb. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbikE6l6nU0 Musashi himself is, of course, known for his combat prowess: a legendary samurai from Japanese history who's widely regarded as the greatest swordsman who ever lived. Much like previous protagonist Samanosuke Akechi–who's loosely based on the Sengoku period's Akechi Hidemitsu–Capcom was influenced by the fables, legends, and real stories of Musashi when creating the character. While he's only in his early 20s in Way of the Sword, the cockiness, confidence, and swagger of someone who would eventually go undefeated in 62 sword duels is immediately apparent. There's a Harrison Ford-esque roguishness about him that's easy to fall in love with, and this is aided immensely by not just Yoshimasa Hosoya's voice performance–I played the Japanese-language version–but also the game's excellent facial-capture animation. Every subtle raise of an eyebrow, smirk of the mouth, and clench of the jaw is evident and lends Masashi a ton of character even when he's not speaking. It also helps that he's modeled after the late, great Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune, best known for his collaborations with Akira Kurosawa on films such as Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, and who also played Musashi in Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy. Onimusha has a long history of using the likenesses of real actors, including Yusaku Matsuda and Jean Reno, but the leap in quality over the past 20 years is undeniable in Way of the Sword. I'm not overly familiar with Mifune's earlier work, yet his mannerisms shine through both in cutscenes and gameplay, from his wide-eyed intensity to the way he shrugs his shoulders and scratches the back of his neck. At the beginning of the game, Musashi arrives in Edo-era Kyoto, looking to prove himself as a warrior without equal. After defeating a clan leader in a fierce duel, he's set upon by an invading force of demonic Genma and is only able to fight back after being granted an Oni gauntlet by a mysterious figure. Unlike previous protagonists such as Samanosuke and Jubei Yagyu, who wanted to use their Oni powers to save the world, Musashi wants to rid himself of the gauntlet. The way of the sword is traversed on one's own strength, so Musashi feels having these powers at his disposal is essentially cheating and doesn't represent his true skill as a swordsman. Watching Musashi navigate this stance while newfound allies are relying on him to save Kyoto is one of the more compelling aspects of the game's narrative. Musashi has his own ethos, but he's also not the kind of samurai who adheres to a strict bushido code. When it's a matter of life or death, he'll break the rules, which feels very human and fits his rogueish attitude. The rest of the story is fairly straightforward, with some comically evil villains adding entertainment value and impetus to the game's many battles. It's standard popcorn fare–not quite as corny as Resident Evil, and there are some killer lines, but it's not something you'll remember for long outside of some of its performances. There are some pacing issues early on, too. Control is frequently wrestled away from you during the first couple of hours as you're dragged from one exposition-heavy cutscene to the next. It's not a great first impression but does eventually relent, settling into a decent groove with conflict at the forefront. Any action game worth its salt lives and dies on how good its combat feels, and in this regard, Way of the Sword positively thrives. It's not a combo-laden action game like Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden, nor is it as punishing and methodical as the many souls-likes that have emerged since Onimusha last appeared. Instead, it falls somewhere in the middle. You've got your standard light and heavy attacks, and transitioning between them to create various combos is seamless and feels suitably hefty. Musashi moves like a regular person–you can clearly see him swinging his katana like he has to put some muscle behind each strike–and this makes his swordplay very deliberate, emphasizing defense as the ultimate key to unlocking your full offensive arsenal.

You can block and parry almost any attack, with the latter opening up your opponents for swift retribution. You can also deflect attacks, which doesn't create the same opportunity to counter but does take a decent chunk out of the enemy's stamina meter. Once this is fully depleted, your foes enter an exhausted state where you're able to deal significant damage–even slowing down time so you can select a specific body part to target during boss fights, such as a pesky tail that you can slice off to prevent certain attacks, or a limb that grants a confluence of souls for you to absorb. You can dodge attacks, too, performing a stylish Reflex Dodge if you evade an unarmed enemy strike at just the right time. This is also the only way to reverse grab attacks, just as deflecting is the only way to counter unavoidable attacks. Way of the Sword's combat is built around reading and reacting to the enemy's various tells and then responding in devastating fashion. Button mashing is quickly punished, but once you've got a handle on its slower cadence, there are stylish thrills to be had in each and every battle. If you're feeling particularly brave, you can even utilize an Onimusha mainstay: the Issen attack. By striking just before an enemy attack lands, you'll hit back with a deadly counter that instantly kills most regular enemies. The timing on this is much more precise than either parries, deflects, or Reflex Dodges, but the reward is much greater, especially once you've unlocked the ability to chain multiple Issen attacks in a row by rhythmically timing your button presses. All of this feels incredibly satisfying in action, mixing nuanced depth with some of the best animation work in the genre. As someone who loves parries, Way of the Sword executes them like no other game I can recall. Rather than enemy attacks simply bouncing off Musashi's katana, you lock weapons with a palpable heft, sending a barrage of sparks flying as they slide against each other before Musashi uses the enemy's momentum to reposition them. It's very much coded in classic samurai cinema, producing these dramatic sword clashes within the flow of combat. Chaining together parries and deflects also builds a meter that activates Blazing State, coating Musashi's katana in a blue flame that boosts your attack power and causes enemies to drop more souls when they die, such as yellow ones that replenish your health and blue ones that power your Oni Armaments. While the younger Musashi hasn't yet created the Niten Ichi-ryu style of dual-wielding he's famous for, his familiarity with multiple weapon types is well realized. You gradually gain access to more Oni Armaments throughout the course of the game, letting you unleash temporary attacks with a varied pool of weapons. The Two Celestials, for instance, are a pair of blades that deal straight damage and extract yellow souls from the Genma, while the Wind-Whipper is a naginata that conjures whirlwinds to wipe out groups of enemies. Elsewhere, the Earth-Shaker hammers excel at inflicting significant stamina damage, and the Firebird Flute summons flaming birds when played, allowing you to launch them at enemies. Choosing which Oni Armament to utilize for each situation becomes a key part of your approach to combat, although Musashi isn't opposed to using unconventional means either. Tables can be flipped and deployed as large shields before being booted at enemies, food carts can be rammed into startled mobs, and you can parry Genma into standing torches, setting them on fire in the process. Unfortunately, the sheer excellence of Way of the Sword's combat is also the only thing keeping the game afloat when mired in its disappointing structure. Eastern Kyoto is established early as a semi-open-world hub, and while there are traditional levels, a large chunk of the game takes place within this open area. You'll find side quests, collectibles, and upgrade materials, and while the map starts small and gradually opens up, it's never particularly large. This works in the game's favor, however, as the side quests therein are dull and uninspired. A subset of optional missions called "Mysteries of Kyoto" has you helping citizens and relaying their stories to Murasaki Shikibu, the historical author of The Tale of Genji. These yarns are rooted in Japanese mythology, covering the likes of the Three Worms, the Faceless, and the Night Parade, but calling them mysteries is a glaring misnomer. The culprit is always just another Genma you need to kill, and the same rings true in the rest of the game's side quests as well. Someone asks for your help, so you head to a location and dispatch every enemy you can find. The worst of these is a series of archery quests where you return to previous locations to shoot down specific Genma using your bow. You're rewarded with upgrade materials for completing these quests, so skipping them puts you at a huge disadvantage. The one saving grace is that there aren't many side quests, and engaging in more combat isn't inherently bad, but Way of the Sword's optional excursions are still incredibly formulaic and make the entire hub feel superfluous. The game's traditional levels are much better, often evoking a specific mood or atmosphere. One sees you venture into an underground lab where a particularly twisted Genma is conducting experiments, fusing humans, animals, and her own kind together to create unsettling monstrosities. Here, Capcom leans into its horror tendencies, casting shadows across the lab's shoji to highlight the mutations happening just out of sight, while kimonos hang from the rafters as evidence of the people who were kidnapped and brought to this malevolent place. It's an eerie and atmospheric location to explore.

Elsewhere, you'll make the gradual trek up the slopes of Mount Oe during twilight, fighting through smaller forts and dodging giant, rolling logs to reach the palatial castle nestled at the top. If the whole game was just more levels like these, I would have very few complaints. Way of the Sword's combat is exceptional, and it features some of the best boss fights I've ever seen, but there's always this nagging feeling that it could've been even better. It feels odd to be disappointed by a game with so many moments I absolutely adore, but that's what happens when the potential to be greater is so obvious. The uninspired semi-open-world is a misstep that doesn't justify its existence, yet Way of the Sword is still a fantastic and welcome return for the series, led by outstanding combat that firmly places it in the upper echelon of modern action games. Fighting is everything, after all, and there's nothing else quite like Musashi's brand of calculated violence.

Publisher North Beach Games and developer North Beach Games Prague have released the reveal trailer … Source

And it's an easy Plat. While I’d broadly agree Sony could be adding retro games to its PS Plus Premium tier faster, I think the support has generally been good. And while Trophies are not mandatory, the platform holder is still porting them into past releases, like the PS1’s Star Wars: Rebel Assault II: The Hidden Empire . Read the full article on pushsquare.com

This November will mark the sixth anniversary of the PlayStation 5 console's launch, but in the years since its arrival, the gaming market has changed dramatically. The trend of consoles becoming cheaper over time has vanished this generation, as the PS5 now costs more today than it did in 2020, and the expectation is that Sony's hardware sales could slow down over time. Sony doesn't seem too worried about that, as company president and CEO Hiroki Totoki explained that there's no need to "aggressively" sell the console. "We are in the latter half of the lifetime cycle of a PS console," Totoki said to the Wall Street Journal. "That means that we do not need to aggressively sell the console today. And rather than that, we're focusing on recurring revenue from the current user base. And already, PS Plus has more than 125 million MAU (monthly active users) today. And how to monetize from the users is quite important for us." https://youtu.be/obR5p5AzR_s Totoki wasn't clear by what he meant exactly in terms of aggressive PS5 sales, although it likely comes down to Sony not needing to discount the console or even sell it at a loss to draw in new users. Sony has been pretty open about its plans to increase revenue from the players it does have, and these numbers have been growing steadily over the last couple of years. PlayStation Plus is required to access online services for the vast majority of games available on the console, while higher tiers tempt potential subscribers with access to an expanded library of games via the PS Plus Game Catalog. At the same time, Sony is preparing to move toward an all-digital future , as over 80% of games purchased for the console are done so through its digital storefront. Once Sony begins to phase out game discs starting January 2028, plugging that gap should result in a sizable jump in its profits . PS5 lifetime sales have reached 95. 3 million units sold as of July 31, 2026. At the same time, the company is starting to feel the pressure from rising prices. Compared with the same period in 2025, console sales declined by 36% in the last quarter. The company still has an active PS4 userbase to monetize as well, and despite its decision to end PS5 disc production being met with a lot of criticism , digital game sales increased from 78% to 82% during the recent financial quarter. It's worth noting that profits during this period did increase by 37% thanks mostly to US tariff refunds and favorable exchange rates, but none of these refunds will be passed back to consumers.

The upcoming Fable reboot from developer Playground Games will have a main story that should take about 15-20 hours to complete, the developers have stated. However, as with any game, your mileage may vary, and Playground believes the new Fable game can be played forever if players want to. Associate game director Will Kennedy told Polygon , "We have around 15-20 hours of mainline quest gameplay." He added that the game has another 15-20 hours worth of "side and open-world exploration content gameplay." "And then, of course, the life systems are limitless, so you can play them for as long as you want," he added. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M79EnEkZ-cc Associate game director Craig Littler, meanwhile, added, "You can literally play it forever if that's what you want to do." The Fable reboot launches in February 2027. It was originally scheduled to launch in 2026, but Playground delayed it to 2027 to avoid a "chaotic window," and we all know that means GTA 6. Gameplay combat footage from Fable emerged online recently from Gamescom, and it looked rough, but  GameSpot’s own hands-on time with the game told a different story . Fable launches February 23, 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.

Sony announced on the PlayStation Blog that two State of Play streams that consist of a standard and Japan showcase for Tokyo Game Show season will go over upcoming PS5 games on September 3, 2026. Things will start at 6am PT/9am ET/3pm CET and will air on YouTube  and  Twitch as usual. We don’t know how long the presentation as a whole will last, but standard State of Plays tend to be around 30-40 minutes. We don’t know too much about what to expect from these two showcases. For example, the length of each one wasn’t mentioned. We do know the Japan one will immediately follow the standard edition. The standard one will be in English with optional Japanese subtitles, while the Japan entry will be hosted by the voice actor Yuki Kaji. Kaji is known for his roles as Adol in Ys, Eren Yeager in Attack on Titan, andShoto Todoroki in My Hero Academia. We do know one thing, however. Final Fantasy VII Revelation will be part of this presentation. The thing is, it isn’t part of the Japan segment. Instead, the “extended look” at it will appear at the end of the standard State of Play. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ The last big State of Play stream happened during Summer Games Fest 2026 . That was a more general one that covered both AAA and indie titles for the PS5. Some of the big news to come out of that one involved God of War: Laufey, Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, Marvel’s Wolverine, Phantom Blade Zero, Silent Hill Townfall, and Until Dawn 2 . The State of Play standard and Japan streams will share news about PS5 games at 6am PT/9am ET/3pm CET on September 3, 2026.

Update: And it's out now! Anbernic has produced a series of emulation handhelds which borrow design inspiration from systems like the GBA , DS and PS Vita , and its forthcoming 55G1 continues the company's tradition of mimicry. As you can see from the trailer below, the 55G1 is a dead ringer for the Switch Lite, the handheld-only variant of Nintendo's insanely popular Switch system. Read the full article on timeextension.com

One of the things people have said about GTA 6 following the "extended look" trailer is that the game looks too much like GTA 5. One person who thinks that's a bunch of baloney is Ned Luke, the actor who played Michael in GTA 5. Appearing in a recent stream with Party Chat and House of Highlights, Luke said, "This looks nothing like Grand Theft Auto 5." His message to people who think GTA 6 looks like GTA 5? "I think they're out of their minds," he said.

Lucia and Jason in GTA 6. He added that Michael's character model "never looked that good," comparing his character to those in GTA 6. You can see Luke's reaction to the new footage below, in which he also praises GTA 6's "jiggle physics." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rp24Bhi8adc GTA 6 carries forward Rockstar's formula for GTA games--having players explore a big, open world and running from the law--so in that respect, GTA 6 does indeed look like another GTA game. But it's plainly obvious to see the numerous upgrades and enhancements that Rockstar's teams have made to graphics, fidelity, and more. The tech experts at Digital Foundry claimed that GTA 6 is the most visually advanced game of all time . Not only is GTA 6 going to be a more visually and technically impressive game, but it's also bigger and more robust. GTA 6's map is 3X bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2's . Additionally, the game has “well over 600,000 animations,” compared to 55,000 in GTA 5 and 300,000 in Red Dead Redemption 2. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game is coming to market with enormous hype behind it and lofty expectations after GTA 5 sold more than 230 million copies. According to Sensor Tower's data, GTA 6 has already picked up 4. 55 million sales via preorders, generating to $450 million in revenue.

Nocturne for Cyl-Hestia is set to appear on Nintendo Switch, Spore and Sorcery has announced. The game is planned for September 24, 2026. Nocturne for Cyl-Hestia is a narrative investigation adventure game set in a retrofuturistic city under martial law. It features 3D exploration, branching dialogue, investigations, hacking puzzles, and journeys through memories. Additional information can be found in the... The post Nocturne for Cyl-Hestia coming to Nintendo Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Stark contrast. Snoops with good Google-fu may be able to find a test trailer for Marvel’s Iron Man , the upcoming open world game in development at EA and Motive. We know this is legit because the team posted on social media about it earlier today: Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Grand Theft Auto 6 has finally had its first big gameplay reveal, giving us our first real look at Rockstar's massive open-world and the amount of detail it holds. It's one that might be the most visually-impressive game we've ever seen, according to the experts at Digital Foundry. Digital Foundry's Oliver Mackenzie and Richard Leadbetter have praised GTA 6's visual presentation, with Mackenzie specifically going as far to call it the "most impressive example of real-time game rendering" he's ever seen. The pair praised a slew of details showcased in the gameplay, including standout character rendering, especially the hair physics and skin details across not just the game's protagonist, but many NPCs too. Ray tracing use was also praised, with the pair pointing out how Rockstar has delicately implemented it in the right places for the biggest impact, and is leaning on older conventional methods in the pursuit for a better balance between fidelity and performance. Performance was a big talking point too, especially so given how poorly GTA 5 performed on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 when it initially launched. Rockstar has always seemingly favored the best looking image quality over the smoothest, but that seems to have changed with GTA 6. Digital Foundry noted that while the game was rendering at 30 frames per second, that target seems to be consistently hit, with the team rarely finding dips during its analysis of all 48,242 frames. According to Digital Foundry's calculations , the gameplay preview of GTA 6 was rendering at a native 1440p and then upscaled to 4K without using a modern upscaling technique, leading to a slightly soft image that can hopefully be improved before launch. The team also reaffirmed its prediction for several months ago, saying that it doesn't expect Rockstar to release a 60fps performance mode for GTA 6 on this generation of consoles, even with significant compromises to the outstanding visual presentation on offer. It expects the PlayStation 5 Pro to offer better examples of ray-traced effects or potentially higher resolution targets, but the CPU remains the biggest bottleneck in a world with so much simulation that would make halving the rendering time nigh impossible without a significantly more capable processor. That's something that a PC release in the future might showcase. There are so many details packed into the Grand Theft Auto 6 showcase that you might have missed, so make sure to check out our biggest takeways from the presentation , including the return of a six-star wanted level , how you can pet (and scold) dogs around the city , some of the references fans are already picking up , and how you won't need to engage with the game's love story if you don't want to .

In good company. That marks the end of a busy week, packed with Gamescom announcements and GTA 6 gameplay footage. Let's decompress with some games, eh? Jamie O'Neill Since I'm staying with family, it's an assortment of PS Vita games entertaining me at the moment. Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up with Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart at the end of next month for my New Year's resolution. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

The annual Gamescom event is meant to showcase some of the best upcoming video games, but at least two apparent thefts have thrown a damper on this year's festivities. Indie developer Ryan Laley reported that his equipment was stolen from his Gamescom booth, which he said was "a huge blow financially and mentally." Fortunately, Laley has received an outpouring of support from the industry, including The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red. On X, CD Projekt Red responded to Laley's initial message and offered to "see if we can send a few things your way," before adding "No choom should have to start from zero." https://twitter.com/CyberpunkGame/status/2093352395044483450 Laley went on to thank CD Projekt Red and others in the industry for their generous offers. He also gave a shoutout to marketing consultant Indie Game Joe for donating the funds to replace his lost equipment. https://twitter.com/RyanLaley/status/2093387270556426431 In turn, Indie Game Joe suggested that players should wishlist Laley's upcoming game, Mimic . Unfortunately, this isn't the only reported theft at Gamescom this year. Iam8bit has posted that two of its laptops were stolen from its booth overnight despite the presence of security. It also noted that the laptops contained early demos for Petal Runner and Escape Academy 2. https://twitter.com/iam8bit/status/2093398808650719323 Gamespot has reached out to Gamescom for comment about the reported thefts. We'll update this story if and when we receive a response.

Courtesy of Bandai Namco, we’ve got the launch trailer for Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters. This follows the previous game that came out in 2020. Catch up on what you need to know about the sequel with the following details: The next episode of Tsubasa’s riveting adventure is here! Enjoy the thrill of spectacular soccer actions with 110 playable characters... The post Captain Tsubasa 2: World Fighters launch trailer – “super action soccer game” hits Nintendo Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

Nvidia hasn't yet announced a release date for DLSS 5 , which it revealed to widespread backlash earlier this year. But a recent leak has provided PC modders the ability to inject the neural rendering in almost any game, which is being used to showcase just how awful its AI-powered face filters can get. Accidentally included in a build of NBA 2K27 (via VideoCardz ), an early version of DLSS 5 was accessed and made useable by the RenoDX modding community, who quickly developed a crude toolset allowing anyone to use the suite across a variety of games. These ranged from extensive tests on Control , Cyberpunk 2077 , The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim , and even Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas , each showcasing some of the benefits and the many, many drawbacks of the heavily AI-reliant post-processing that Nvidia plans to introduce. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxXdIVc9Suo Control is one of the most interesting examples as it offers good looks at both sides of the coin. When toggled on, protagonist Jesse Faden's character model definitely looks more detailed, gaining more facial shadowing and detailing across the skin's surface. But it also makes her look quite different to the original model, sticking out even more in motion as you navigate through a world that is unevenly enhanced in the same way. There are clear benefits to some environmental details, especially some models that are starting to show their age. But it just looks unnatural in so many ways, clearly showcasing how just minor blemishes can make a whole scene feel incohesive. Another interesting example is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, particularly because of how old the game is. Back when DLSS 5 was announced, Nvidia defending the technology by stating that it was simply enhancing geometry already present in a game, and not fundamentally altering it. It was difficult to take at face value then given the examples, but it completely breaks down when looking at how much it alters a PlayStation 2 title. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who thinks this is a superior-looking version of the Rockstar classic, which makes sweeping changes to character and environmental models that just look wrong. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb2HWTvh0Fo The ability to test this neural-rendering suite out has also been eye-opening in terms of how it performs. Modders using DLSS 5 have managed to get it working across various RTX 50- and 40-series cards, but across the board, performance takes a massive hit with the filters turned on. As expected, the consumes a massive amount of GPU VRAM as its models run locally to make conversions in real astime, sometimes halving frame rates in the process, too. This is obviously an early version not intended for public release, and will certainly be optimized further. But it confirms some fears from its initial reveal, where the tech was running on multiple RTX 5090s. Nvidia released DLSS 4. 5 during Gamescom this week, introducing the next generation of Ray Reconstruction to improve image quality in supported ray-traced and path-traced games. DLSS 5 is expected to launch later in 2026, although Nvidia has not spoken about it significantly since its reveal. In one of its last messages, Nvidia stressed that game developers will have full control over the post processing effect and how much it can alter a scene, while several developers spoke out against its existence .

The 2018 game Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker just got Naruto Uzumaki (Sage Mode) as a DLC character. Bandai Namco announced he is available following the update and shared a trailer. This follows Jiraya (Sage Mode), which launched in May 2026 and kicked off Season Pass 10 . It also confirmed new Esoteric Scroll updates and that Kabuto Yakushi (Sage Mode) will show up in Fall 2026.  This version of Naruto is accompanied by a number of other additions. You get the Frog Kumite (Attack Type) and Nature Energy: Concentration (Attack Type) Ninjutsu, Tailed Beast State: Nine Tails (Attack Type) Secret Technique, Naruto Outfit: Hokage Cloak costume for male and female characters, Naruto’s Wallet accessory, Naruto and Minato Hairstyles, a Naruto’s Scroll Weapon, and the Honorary Title: Hero. The new video shows him performing his Ninjutsu and Secret Technique. Here’s the full Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker Sage Naruto trailer that shows him off, confirms the Esoteric Scroll Nine Tails’ Claw and Water Sword: Tobirama Senju updates, highlights 8th anniversary Celebratory Outfit: Multilayered costume, and teases an upcoming Summoning: Ninja Shark addition. At the very end, Kabuto Yakushi (Sage Mode) briefly appears. Kimimaro and Sage Jiraya both preceded him. This is the second Bandai Namco Naruto game to get a free character update in August 2026. It also happened for Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections . As part of a free update, players can now use Nanashi Uchiha . That reveal also came with a promise of yet another character and more additions in 2026 and 2027. Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker is available on the PS4, Xbox One and PC, and the free Naruto Uzumaki (Sage Mode) character is live for everyone with the game.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy faces a difficult balancing act. Can it move away from its predecessors' terrifying waves of rats and still deliver a supernatural terror that ties into rewarding environmental puzzles? Can it ditch the series' sibling protagonists and still tell a moving story focused on two people learning to lean on one another? And can it add fierce, frenetic combat to the franchise's formula as a new gameplay pillar without abandoning its core identity as a puzzle game? At times, Resonance succeeds--especially during its stronger first half--but it too often loses its footing. And as the game increasingly misses the mark, it further distances itself from what worked so well in the first two A Plague Tale games without adding anything to make up for the loss. Set in 1334, about 15 years prior to the first two A Plague Tale games, Resonance follows Sophia instead of series protagonist Amicia de Rune. As a young girl, Sophia was forcibly injected with blood that causes her to have visions of a long-lost civilization. Wanting to cure her of these visions, her father eventually finds and travels to the island that she has seen in her visions, but in his attempts to uncover the island's history, he is killed by a mysterious and terrifying beast. Wanting to discover what her visions mean and learn about what truly happened to her dad, Sophia travels to the island with her best friend, Leni, in tow.

The story, especially in the first half, is very good. This series has consistently done a fantastic job of quickly building up characters or situations in its introductions to be narrative buy-ins that are solely there to be destroyed or yanked away early on and create emotional stakes: Amicia's happy family life in the first game, the hope that Amicia's life had returned to some degree of normalcy in the second game. Resonance does the same. You actually spend quite a bit of time getting to know Sophia in Europe and the fairly happy life she has with the adopted family of smugglers she grew up with before a tragic event forces Sophia to go to the island. There's a real sense of desperation in her tale, and the stakes of what may happen to her or Leni if she were to return to her allies empty-handed and without answers are abundantly apparent. Leni and Sophia have an odd dynamic. Narratively, it's pretty good. There's some angst beneath the playful banter of the two friends that implies there could be romantic feelings pushing the two together, and the two play off one another in cutscenes incredibly well with their very different skill sets--Sophia is a fighter who can muscle through problems that require strength, and Leni is a pickpocket who is adept at getting in and out of places she doesn't belong.

But that's never reflected in the gameplay. Leni can hold her own in a fight just as well as Sophia can (she even one-shots whichever enemy she's dealing with as soon as you handle the second-to-last foe) and regularly helps out with pushing open heavy doors and moving partially stuck levers. And at the same time, Sophia can squeeze into any spot Leni can and is usually the lead on how to solve puzzles (because she's you, the player!). The story does a great job of framing that these two are only succeeding because they have one another, but then this framing is repeatedly struck down whenever the cutscene ends and control returns to you. Again, it all feels very odd, like Resonance is holding onto its partnership framing for no other reason than that the first two games used it. The mysterious, newly discovered island that Sophia and Leni find themselves on is quickly revealed to be Crete, what was once home to Minoan society and, if the myths are to be believed, a minotaur-inhabited labyrinth. The characters don't know that--it's 1334, so all of those stories have yet to be uncovered again.

This is a terrific framing for a puzzle game. As Sophia, you carry a book loaded with drawings from your childhood visions, your dad's early attempts to explore the island, and all the follow-up expeditions that the smuggling gang undertook after his passing. There's no writing--it's all a series of drawings. And using those drawings, you have to figure out how to retrace the steps of those who came before, while also finding your own way forward when unexpected roadblocks pop up. To aid in her and Leni's exploration, Sophia possesses an artifact that dates back to the Minoan society that once lived on the island. The sphere can redirect light to reveal hidden symbols left behind with invisible paint, and also open doorways that require lining up beams of light to hit certain points on a wall. These puzzles centered around the use of light are rarely complicated, but contribute to the feeling of Sophia and Leni being intelligent dungeon delvers who are uncovering long-lost history.

The process feels as I imagine archaeology to be--I don't believe Sophia's journey is in any way accurate to uncovering forgotten ruins and unraveling ancient mysteries, but the idealized fantasy of it is well represented here. Crete is also a beautiful place to explore. The island is brightly lit and full of vibrant greens, reds, and blues, while the faded bronze of statues, broken weapons, and simple machinery mark Minoan society. Resonance also has the best soundtrack of the series, sticking to strings to frame most of Sophia's journey as a grand adventure or odyssey, and crucially plucking at the tension once the supernatural terror begins to rear its head.

It takes Resonance longer than any other A Plague Tale game to reveal its monster, but once it does, any semblance that this will be a fun couples adventure for Sophia and Leni is gone. The beast is creepy, slinking through the darkness of the island's underbelly in search of any and all life. In these darkened areas, Sophia becomes covered in softly glowing blue lights, and she leaves a trail of luminescent tracks whenever she's not crouch-walking. The beast can use these trails to track her, but it also will pause to take a hauntingly raspy sniff of the air--if Sophia is not behind cover when this happens, the beast will sniff out the blue lights on her and pursue her. The beast's only weakness is light. It burns away upon touching any light source, and so encounters with the beast are a series of tense stealth sections as you bravely venture into the dark to reach the next source of light. These sections are terrifying, especially the first one as the beast is introduced and you finally get to see what killed Sophia's father. These moments stay pretty consistently creepy too, with the sound design of the beast's methodical movements and desperate breathing creating a tense and frantic atmosphere whenever it shows up. And Resonance continues to raise the bar with each encounter, adding new types of obstacles to consider (like how to find safety in areas where the beast can dim the light, or there's no light whatsoever) and more types of enemy terrors for Sophia to encounter in the dark. It's certainly the most memorable take I've ever seen of Crete's infamous minotaur.

Figuring out what the beast is and its motivations becomes the biggest driving mystery of Resonance. As Sophia ventures closer to the minotaur's lair, she encounters more and more that is unfamiliar to her but very much understood for us as the player, but the game's reframing of these long-familiar myths is an enticing draw. Sophia soon starts having visions of being Theseus, the Greek hero who we know slayed the minotaur, but their story feels quite different from the tale we know. They don't seem to be a divine adventurer, but are instead a gladiator who rose to fame by participating in some sort of competition; and they have a secret agreement with Daedalus, the famed inventor of the labyrinth. These visions are beautiful, reimagining what Minoan society might have looked like at the height of the Bronze Age. They're also wonderful power fantasies as Theseus is a far stronger warrior than Sophia.

Combat is merely fine in Resonance. Sophia can strike, block, dodge, and parry, and also has a grappling hook to grab and yank enemies toward her. The soldiers that followed Sophia and Leni to the island come in your typical variety of standard, nimble, shield-bearing, spear-wielding, and heavy enemy types, each of which has a singular tried-and-true method of taking them down. The challenge of combat comes down to crowd management, ducking and weaving and parrying long enough for an opening to present itself. Sophia (and Theseus) can take two hits before the third kills them, and health is only regained by executing an enemy, encouraging you to fight aggressively and end conflicts swiftly or to keep a weaker enemy alive for an easy stab-and-heal while whittling away at a much stronger foe. These brief and violent dances are a fun break from the puzzle-solving in the first half of the game, but in the latter half--especially the final few hours--Resonance starts throwing huge groups of enemies at you, and that's when the combat system falls apart. Resonance doesn't have a lock-on feature, so dealing with especially large groups of enemies clumped together is a pain, and I found myself frustratingly dying often because I was trying to attack a specific enemy I had just stunned, only for Sophia to wail against the impenetrable shield of a healthy target instead.

The ending of Resonance is also just far weaker than the first half. Sofia either travels alone or with a far less interesting NPC. The decision to have her travel solo I can understand--it ups the tension during moments when the beast is hunting Sophia, and also ensures that those tense moments aren't ruined by the companion messing up and breaking stealth. That would have probably sucked. But Sophia's other companion is a poor tradeoff for moments when Leni isn't there--the game does such a good job of villainizing this other character up to that point in the story, that for Sophia to then be forced to work with them for several chapters feels off-putting. The decision to make Sophia travel with a companion at all, again, feels like the lingering ghost of the older games dictating what the formula needs to be. The moments where Sophia is traveling solo clearly showcase that she can carry a game on her own, but if we had to have her talk out loud to someone else to progress the story, I'm baffled that the dev team didn't go for the far more intriguing choice of somehow making the ghost of Theseus work.

Resonance also starts going a little too far into the physical trauma porn in the end, even giving Lara Croft from the rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy a run for her money. There comes a point where seeing a character survive getting tossed around, beaten, and bloodied makes you start to wonder if the character is superhuman. When that occurs, the fantasy of this being a story of an ordinary woman grappling with the ramifications of discovering a supernatural power begins to crack, and you stop worrying about a protagonist once you've seen them survive a near-death experience half a dozen times. Perhaps worst of all, the final moments of Resonance have a lore problem. If you've played these games, you'll be able to start piecing together what's going on in the latter half of the story, and the final big reveal will ultimately hit you like a freight train. If you know the ramifications of Resonance's mystery and absolutely awesome conclusion, it might be the best finale in the series. But if you have no idea what, as an example, the Prima Macula is, the last five hours of this game's story will make very little sense to you and the finale will probably be a confusing dud. You'll still get the emotional payoff of Sophia having acquired the answers she was seeking, but the game doesn't provide the necessary context to fully understand what those answers mean. So, as strange as it is to say, if you want to play Resonance and you haven't played both of the previous A Plague Tale games, you have homework. This is not a prequel that tells a story that can stand on its own, nor is it an ideal on-ramp for the series. Overall, I liked Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. I think it adds a valuable chapter to the overall mythos of the series, and manages to carve out its own identity in several places without continuing to rely on fan-favorite Amicia or the terror of contending with waves of rats. But you have to be such a fan of the series already to enjoy it to the same extent as I did, and even then, shortcomings in combat and the companion system hold the game back, especially in a latter half that seems to drag as you get closer to the conclusion. I want people to play Resonance, but I can't ignore that any game that requires doing homework beforehand to enjoy is a bit lacking. If you do that homework though, Resonance easily stands besides the other A Plague Tale games as a great AA, story-driven experience.

Microsoft's new Fable game was supposed to launch this year, but it was delayed to February 2027. The game's director, Ralph Fulton, said in an interview that he feels "great" about the launch timing for Fable, adding that shifting to 2027 helps the game avoid the "chaotic window" of its original timeframe of late 2026. Speaking to IGN , Fulton said the reason for the delay "is pretty apparent to everybody." He said he was "really looking forward to" launching Fable in 2026, saying he wasn't happy about having another all-hands meeting with the team in January to tell them, "This is the year we ship Fable." But alas, that's what happened. "The rationale for it is absolutely sound. I'm glad that we're avoiding that chaotic window," he said. In getting pushed to February 2027, Fable avoids launching near Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 (October 23) and GTA 6 (November 19). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjQNvjTF56o Fulton did not mention GTA 6 by name in this interview, but he did previously. In June, Fulton said Fable being delayed to 2027 helps Fable avoid a "really congested period" for game releases and "obviously avoiding Grand Theft Auto." "Having a much less contested window allows us the opportunity to go out and really make a moment for ourselves, and I think the attention this game deserves,” he said. Gameplay combat footage from Fable emerged online this week from Gamescom, and it looked rough, but GameSpot's own hands-on time with the game told a different story . Fable launches February 23, 2027 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.

The Misadventures of Sirfetch’d & Pichu will be released in 2027… Source

It's open to everyone now! As we head into the weekend, we wanted to give you a reminder that the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta is now officially free for everyone to check out, following a period of early access for people who had pre-ordered it. There's reason to dive back in if you played in the first weekend too, as various new features are being added to this specific weekend of the beta including new maps and game modes, along with improvements to gameplay. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Kyle from Kytor Industries will begin sales of the RetroTap this Thursday September 3rd at 11AM (NYC time). These are not pre-orders – There will be stock available to ship immediately. Kyle’s planning continuous batches, with the goal to keep these in stock (or keep placing orders) for the foreseeable future. The price is $60 […] The post RetroTap Power Supply On Sale September 3rd first appeared on RetroRGB .

GTA 6 takes place in Vice City, which is a stand-in for Miami, and it appears the game will feature a Miami apartment building from a popular TV show. Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Dexter Morgan's apartment in Miami from the TV show Dexter appears to be in GTA 6. The TV show is set in Miami and the exterior shots were filmed at the Bay Harbor Club condos in Miami . You can see comparison images below. https://twitter.com/DrakoAfoa/status/2093121257457815587 Others have pointed out that by the time GTA 6 releases in November, the second season of Dexter Resurrection will be airing. Some have theorized that they might find someone who looks like Dexter Morgan walking around Vice City, or that the game might satirize the character or the show. That remains to be seen, but Rockstar's Rob Nelson said told IGN that the developer is being "careful" about what it chooses to satirize to avoid the game coming across as feeling dated. That's part of the reason why GTA 6 is not going to satirize US President Donald Trump or the COVID-19 pandemic . GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. We learned a lot more about the game today, including how  the map is 3X bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2’s  and that  a playthrough can be 80 hours long . The game also brings back  six-star wanted levels  and  you can pet the dog .

Tohokushinsha Film Corporation is working with Capcom to hold a Resident Evil exhibition to help celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary. The company has also updated the official English website for the exhibition, which has “The World of Resident Evil : 30th Anniversary Exhibition” as its English title. Tohokushinsha has also published a preliminary version of the venue map, which will be situated at Shibuya BEAM Gallery. Some of the areas have yet to be unveiled, but those that have already been revealed will include life-size statues of famous series characters like Leon S. Kennedy , Albert Wesker , and Alcina Dimitrescu .

Image via Tohokushinsha In addition, Capcom and Tohokushinsha revealed that the venue will have an official goods shop that sells exclusive Resident Evil -themed merchandise. The initial goods list is as follows: First Zombie Plush Toy Zombie Dog Moving Toy 30th Anniversary Exhibition Key Visual Acrylic Block Licker Slippers Mr. Raccoon Mascot Keychain Red Eagle / Dragonfly Ammo Case Tablet Tofu Bath Toy

Image via Tohokushinsha The World of Resident Evil : 30th Anniversary Exhibition will take place on the 4th floor of Shibuya BEAM Gallery in Tokyo, Japan, from October 30 to December 24, 2026. Those who want to visit this exhibit will have to purchase tickets, although the ticketing webpage is also available in English .

Alien Isolation 2 stars a new protagonist named Blake. Creative Assembly has been clear about this all summer, but it's only now that I'm letting it sink in. Since I first played a demo of the survival-horror game at Summer Game Fest's Play Days this past June, I've been holding onto a theory that Blake's role in the story is a bait-and-switch--that in short order Blake would be impaled by the Xenomorph and Amanda Ripley, star of the first game, would show up as the real playable character.  But it's time I let go of that pet theory of mine. Every time Creative Assembly talks about this game, the team highlights Blake's story. There's too much investment on the team's end for me to keep believing they have a trick up their sleeve. "What I can say is the story focuses on Blake," principal environment artist Archie Whitehead told GameSpot's Miri Teixeira on the Gamescom showfloor following a hands-on demo. "She's been sent to the colony. If you watch the trailer , you see this, like she's been sent there kind of as penance, like she's made a mistake."  It's just the latest in a series of confirmations that my theory about Ripley is all wrong. I can see that now. The team told me something similar during Summer Game Fest, but I guess I was too worried about letting them pull a fast one on me to see it. I wanted to spot the twist before it was on-screen. For what it's worth, I had this same theory about Red Dead Redemption 2's Arthur Morgan back in 2018, and that wasn't exactly true--though I guess it was eventually sort of true. It's not that I'd necessarily enjoy Alien Isolation 2 more if Amanda Ripley were the playable character again. It's not that I think this makes the game better in some obvious way. I could see this sequel being memorable with or without her in the driver's seat like that, so I've always been on board for Blake as the protagonist if it shook out that way; I just doubted she actually would be. But today, after hearing it for the third or fourth time this summer, I'm ready to drop my baseless theory. Having said that, I do still find it extremely likely Ripley is in this game in some important way. She seemed to narrate the demo I played, and I don't expect that's all they brought her voice actor in for. Whether it's by audio logs, narration, or perhaps she shows up in the flesh, the daughter of Ellen--arguably horror's greatest Final Girl--will be back, but I'm telling myself to get comfy with Blake. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better, as her life will certainly be in my hands when Alien Isolation 2 arrives in 2027.

The XCOM series has been effectively on hiatus for many years now, and AAA turn-based-tactics games have been pretty hard to come by recently. That's changing, however, starting with this week's launch of Star Wars Zero Company . It's effectively a marriage of classic XCOM gameplay and Clone Wars-era Star Wars storytelling, and within a few minutes of starting it, I got that same rush of excitement I got the first time I played an XCOM game.  Typically, I try to savor turn-based tactical experiences like this as much as possible, because I know it's going to be at least a few years before something like it comes along again. The last XCOM-esque turn-based-tactics game I can even recall playing was Classified: France '44 , which released well over two years ago. I enjoyed that one so much that I considered just starting it over again, because there wasn't really anything else like it releasing at the time.  But no longer! As part of Gamescom Opening Night Live , Ubisoft revealed Rainbow 6 Tactics . Ditching the first-person-shooter gameplay the series is famous for, Rainbow 6 Tactics is a single-player tactical experience that plays out like a turn-based version of Rainbow Six Siege. You scout enemy positions using drones and then launch your attack, breaching walls and taking down enemies with precision and force. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRJOXB3euJQ It makes use of the destructible environments Rainbow Six Siege is famous for, but it's all wrapped up in a completely different genre. And just like Zero Company, Rainbow 6 Tactics will be available on Xbox and PS5 in addition to PC, giving it a wide audience when it arrives in 2027.  And if you don't have an Xbox, a PS5, or PC, you're still not being left out of the fun as of late. Sure, it's also an RPG, but Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave is certainly going to scratch that turn-based-strategy itch. Developer Intelligent Systems is arguably the king of the genre, and based on our hands-on preview of the game, it looks to be absolutely packed with content. There are four protagonists, each with their own stories, so this could be one you are playing for weeks or even months--hopefully just long enough for Rainbow 6 Tactics to be out. Patiently waiting our turn for the next XCOM-like or Fire Emblem game to release used to feel like a futile exercise, but I'm very excited for the future of sort-of-but-not-really-chess games right now. If others feel the same, we just need to show up and buy them so the genre can keep thriving … and maybe convince Take-Two to greenlight an XCOM 3. Pretty please?

You might expect people to talk about the visuals, lighting, action sequences, or gunplay after Grand Theft Auto VI's brand-new extended-look trailer showed off over 25 minutes of new footage. But the top comments on Rockstar's YouTube upload of the video deal more with the human condition than expected. In fact, there's quite a bit of talk about death and remembrance. The top comment (at the time of publication) states: "a moment of silence for people that didn't make it here." Meanwhile, another person writes: "Objective: Stay alive till release day." It's been a long wait for GTA 6 , especially since GTA 5 originally launched almost 13 years ago.  Not only has a lot happened to the gaming industry as a whole since GTA 5 came out, but also to people's personal lives. For instance, another person typed: "Bro, I went through middle school, high school, and college... now I need to request time off work for this." Tragedy has apparently struck others, but not dampered their spirits, as seen in this comment: "I was in a traffic accident in February and lost a leg, but I've still got my two damn hands and my eyes, baby!" There is a lot to take in from the new GTA 6 trailer , such as NPCs noticing if you're openly carrying a weapon in the game. In addition, stealing a car might be a little more complicated this time around. For older vehicles, you can still smash the glass, but newer models apparently require a key cloner.  GTA 6 is set to finally release on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It sounds like a playthrough of the open-world game could be roughly 80 hours , so plan accordingly this holiday season.

Sega shared an extended Stranger than Heaven demo playthrough trailer as part of its gamescom 2026 promotions for the new RGG Studio game. It features a slice of gameplay highlighting what it will be like to play as Makoto Daito in-game during the 1915, 1929, and 1943 time periods. It also offers some of the most extended opportunities to see how the combat system in Stranger than Heaven will work, given it changes things up from the formula used in the original Yakuza games and Judgment . During Stranger than Heaven , we’ll follow Makoto during different periods of his life. This first 1915 phase takes place in Kokura, Japan. He’s tasked with dealing with someone by his boss. The first minute and a half of the 12 minute segment is dedicated to setting the scene, showing the character walking down a city street, highlighting how conversations from folks in the background will look, and letting us see how character models and locations will appear. At about the 1:35 mark, we get our first look at the Stranger than Heaven combat system. Like the earlier Yakuza games and Judgment , it will be an active system. However, here we’ll be using the left and right shoulder and trigger buttons to control whether Makoto strikes with his left or right sides, holding B at the same time as LB or RB to guard. The A action button is tied to evasion, while the D-pad down and right buttons are tied to eating food or using items. Health is represented by circles, with percentages being removed as damage is dealt to Makoto or foes. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ The other segments also offer opportunities to showcase different locations and combat moments in various time periods. The 1929 Kure and 1943 Osaka ones both come up. In each case, we get to see the location and some general fights. 1929 comes up first at the 3:25 mark, and that includes what appears to be an extended boss fight that runs from the five minute mark to the 7:55 one. The 1943 Osaka segment takes place during a rainy night and involves a more generic enemy encounter. Here’s the full Stranger than Heaven gamescom 2026 demo playthrough trailer. At pretty much every major event in 2026, we’ve seen Sega and RGG bring up Stranger than Heaven and share new details about the game. The May 2026 announcement went over the story, showed we’ll be returning to Kamurocho from Like a Dragon / Yakuza , and revealed Ado, Satoshi Fujihara, Snoop Dogg, and Tori Kelly will be in the game and sing its theme song together. During Summer Game Fest 2026, more details came up alongside the reveal that Tupac Shakur’s likeness will appear in-game. Stranger than Heaven will come to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on January 15, 2027.

"I feel great about that.". When Fable was delayed to February 2027 in May , we pretty much all knew exactly why Xbox had made that decision - they wanted to release nowhere near Grand Theft Auto 6 , and allow Fable to have the spotlight at another time. A date had never been penned in for Fable prior to that point, but a new Gamescom interview with IGN reveals that October 2026 was the release target for Playground Games, so that's what they were aiming for before the delay. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Project re:Blue allows player to enjoy Blue Dragon on modern PC platforms… Source

A very important piece of news has come to light about GTA 6 : You can pick up dog poop and throw it at people in the upcoming open-world crime game. YouTuber TGG visited Rockstar North's offices and spoke with the team, and one of the things he learned was how dog poop can be a weapon. "If someone is out on the street and they're walking their dog, and the dog takes a dump, you can wait for the person to pick up the dog sh** with a doggie bag, and then you can hit that person, making them drop that doggie bag full of dog crap, and then you can actually pick that up and throw it at people," he said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0 Throwing dog poop at people is not a nice thing to do, and presumably GTA 6's new Red Dead Redemption 2-like honor system will knock you for this, or at least we hope it would. GTA 6 also lets you pet dogs or scold them , and we're hoping anyone who scolds a very good boy also gets a ding to their honor.

One of the dogs in GTA 6. GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it's coming to market with an enormous amount of hype behind it. GTA 6 is expected to sell many millions of copies--so many that preorders alone could pay for the game's entire development budget .

Based on the PS5 footage from the Extended Look. Last night's GTA 6 Extended Look was obviously a massive hit, and the fine folks over at Digital Foundry have been racking up a ton of attention today with their "Extended Look analysis" of the 26-minute gameplay showcase. They spend a lot of time talking about just how amazing it all looked, particularly in terms of character rendering, hair simulation, skin shading, specular reflections, diffuse global illumination and various other things, while also highlighting the internal resolution and frame rate of the Extended Look preview. Read the full article on purexbox.com

Atlus regularly releases an annual survey on a yearly basis asking about its games and possible JRPG details, and 2026 is no different. This year’s installment is available in Japan and North America now. People can take part until September 6, 2026. If someone makes it through to the end, they’ll find Atlus asks about more Persona JRPG remakes and physical releases of games. The length of this questionnaire varies from year to year. For example, the 2022 one was expected to last about 45 minutes. The estimate for the 2026 Atlus annual games survey is 20 minutes. While things begin with general demographic information regarding things like age, gender, location, occupation, and monthly disposable income, it gets into questions related to gaming. Things start with owned platforms and how long people use them, genres people appreciate, and also cover how people see information tied to the hobby or share it. It gets interesting once it gets into the game purchases section, as Atlus asks about how many physical copies of total purchased games someone bought. Some of the other more specific questions in the survey get into actual Atlus games and what people expect from them. One question asks what sorts of themes, concepts, and gameplay people expect from the company’s titles. It also asks how aware the survey taker is with both Atlus titles like Catherine, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Raidou Remastered , and Persona entries, as well as other JRPGs and RPGs like FFVII Rebirth, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Pokemon Legends: Z-A. (It also asked if people own those titles.) Vanillawaregames like 13 Sentinels, Dragon’s Crown, Odin’s Sphere Leifthrasir, and Unicorn Overlord come up in that section as well. Questions about known Persona entries and remakes scome up at the very end of this Atlus survey. It starts by asking about the fourth and sixth entries in the JRPG series at the 75% mark. It shows the trailer for Persona 4 Revival , asks if someone would purchase it, and asks for someone to explain why. After that, the questionnaire asks if someone is aware of Persona 6 and added it to a wishlist. After that, it asks if someone is interested in remakes of Revelations: Persona, Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment, the Persona Dancing trilogy, the Persona 4 Arena duology, and the two Persona Q games. That section also asks about remakes of Shin Megami Tensei IV and Apocalypse, SMT Digital Devil Saga, and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers. Go Ad-Free With Siliconera+ View the site with no ads, be able to provide direct feedback about what we cover, and be automatically entered into our monthly PC game giveaway. Join Siliconera+ The Atlus annual games survey that asks about Persona remakes is now live in Japan and North America until September 6, 2026.

Last week, we asked you to share breathtaking views from your favorite games using #PSshare #PSBlog. Here are this week’s highlights:

call_me_xavii shares the creatively painted world of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

rorottino shares a view of the world of Elden Ring

SheikhSadi80 shares a cherry blossom altar view in Ghost of Yōtei

dfgmendes shares the farm’s view of the setting sun in The Last of Us Part II

itsaPinky_fn shares a snowy outlook in Horizon Forbidden West

xirantics shares the glowing view of the Arlathan Forest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode . Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Trees SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on September 2, 2026  Next week, grab some shade and share trees from the game of your choice using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com ! Subscribe via Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or download here Hey, everybody! We’re back this week to discuss some of the biggest announcements from Gamescom, the upcoming full release of Path of Exile 2, and our latest gaming obsessions. Stuff We Talked About Next week’s release highlights: Darksiders: Warmastered Edition | PS5 R-Type Dimensions III | PS5 Coffee Talk Tokyo | PS5 Warhammer 40,000: Speed Freeks | PS5 Bubsy 4D | PS5 LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight | PS5 Into the Radius 2 announcement — Arrives September 24 on PS VR2, with a full single-player campaign and co-op. Into the Radius 2 features an overhauled loadout system, with a huge upgrade to the weapons system as well, for players to explore solo or with a friend. Opening Night Live recap — Get caught up on some of the best reveals from Gamescom 2026, including first announcements, updates, and demos of games coming to PS5 this year and beyond. Onimusha: Way of the Sword demo — Take on new boss Daidara now in the demo on PS5 ahead of the September 4 launch, and get insight into the game’s world and combat with an interview with producer Akihito Kadowaki and director Satoru Nihei. Star Wars Zero Company hands-on — Check out our impressions of this turn-based tactics title set in the Star Wars universe, where Bonds, blasters, and Battle Droids take center stage. See how battle options, as well as exploration, can change the tide in battle: available now. PlayStation Plus Monthly Games September Sniper Elite: Resistance | PS5, PS4 MLB The Show 26 | PS5 Wobbly Life | PS5, PS4 Chained Echoes | PS4 The Cast

Sid Shuman – Senior Director of Content Communications, SIE

O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. [Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

The Lands Between has more to find. Elden Ring's Tarnished Edition adds more content to an already-packed world - from new Armour Sets to Weapons, NPC Invasions, and Spectral Steed Attire options (new looks for Torrent, in other words). It's all available either as part of the Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition - which sees FromSoftware's modern masterpiece make its way to a Nintendo platform for the first time - or as a separate Tarnished Pack DLC for the PC, PS5 and Xbox versions. (If you're playing on one of these platforms with an existing save file, then as well as buying the DLC pack, you also need to ensure the game has been updated to version 1. 17 or higher.) Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Rockstar finally lifted the veil on GTA 6 during a high-profile Netflix event on August 27. The nearly 30-minute video revealed a lot . We saw main characters Jason and Lucia in action in snippets of multiple different missions, while there were cutscenes and character interactions on display as well. The broadcast also featured a new look at some of the updated gameplay systems, like how NPCs will notice if you're carrying a weapon in public , how stealing cars works , and that the game has a Red Dead Redemption 2-style honor system . There were numerous other details big and small to be gleaned from the reveal, along with interviews from developers at Rockstar North. Check out GameSpot's video below in which Jake Dekker runs through 29 different things we noticed in GTA 6 from the big new trailer, and I'm guessing we found some stuff you didn't notice right away. Check out the video below to see it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPpqZwUwl0 GTA 6 launches on November 19 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. There is likely going to be a PC edition of the game, but no one should expect it at launch . While Rockstar Games has shown off GTA 6's single-player, the developer has yet to utter a word about anything regarding an online multiplayer mode . GTA 5's GTA Online has been, and continues to be, a huge success for Rockstar, so it only stands to reason that Rockstar would lean into multiplayer for GTA 6 as well.

Digital Foundry weighs in. In case you hadn't noticed, GTA 6 just had its big gameplay blowout, and it looks pretty sensational. It's a seriously impressive-looking game, one that looks on par with some of PS5's most visually outstanding software — only set within a vast open world that's stuffed with detail. Read the full article on pushsquare.com

Publisher Xbox Game Studios and developer Playground Games have released a 16-minute combat gameplay video … Source

The launch trailer for Lou’s Lagoon has now debuted. Coming from Tiny Roar, this cozy exploration and crafting adventure game has arrived on both Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. If you’re interested in learning more about the game, check out the following description: Take flight in your seaplane on a heartfelt adventure across the tropical Limbo archipelago. After a devastating... The post Lou’s Lagoon launch trailer – cozy exploration and crafting adventure game hits Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch appeared first on Nintendo Everything .

When we think about combat in Fable , we think about more than defeating enemies. We think about giving players the tools to approach encounters in their own way, experiment with different abilities and create a Hero that feels unique to them and their preferred playstyle. Play Video

That’s why combat in Fable is built around what we call “style-weaving.”

Style-weaving allows players to seamlessly combine strength, skill and will, weaving together melee attacks, ranged weapons and magic in ways that feel natural and rewarding. From the beginning of development, one of our goals was to ensure combat feels smooth and responsive and fun, whether you’re landing a perfectly timed melee strike, chaining abilities together or unleashing powerful magic in the middle of a fight.

Some Heroes may favour a direct, aggressive combat style, charging headfirst into danger with a sword in hand and a loadout full of high-damage spells, like Fireball or Lightning. Others may prefer a more tactical approach built around enemy manipulation and controlling the battlefield, utilising spells like ‘Befowl’, which allows the player to turn an enemy into a chicken temporarily, and Lift, which temporarily lifts enemies into the air before slamming them back down to the ground.

As you progress through the game, you’ll unlock new weapons, abilities and magical powers that can be combined in different ways, allowing you to discover a playstyle that feels right for you. The choices you make in combat are yet another personal expression of the Hero that you’re becoming as you venture through Albion.

We also recognise that players are looking for different levels of challenge as they travel throughout Albion. Some will want a more relaxed game, with a focus on the world, story and characters around them. Others will seek a greater challenge that pushes them to master every mechanic and system available. That’s why Fable allows players to choose the combat intensity that’s right for them and tailor the experience to suit their preferred playstyle.

Ultimately, the combat system supports the same philosophy that runs throughout the rest of Fable: player choice. We want players to feel ownership over the Hero they create, the decisions they make and the way they tackle every challenge they face. We can’t wait for PlayStation players to begin their own adventure when Fable launches on February 23, 2027. Players who pre-order the Premium Edition will receive up to 5 days Early Access.

GTA 6's world map is twice the size of GTA 5 and three times bigger than RDR 2… Source

The 3. 2 Zenless Zone Zero Special Program aired during gamescom 2026 and confirmed we’ll see newcomers Claret and Roxy when the new Their Secret Histories patch arrives next month. It will launch on September 9, 2026. In addition to introducing the new Flint Workshop faction and characters, we’ll also see more outfits. The three Zenless Zone Zero Angels of Delusion characters will be getting costumes. As expected, the Zenless Zone Zero Their Secret Histories update will continue the storyline in Roscaelifer. This means getting to visit a new area of the region. New S-rank Agents Claret and Roxy will play a part in the story, with the former being the Administrative Director of Flint Workshop and very first Armorer role unit. She’s also an S-rank Electric type who is designed to use her Gash to Maim an enemy and deal multi-Crit when her critical rate is over 100%. Roxy is a more traditional type of unit, as the Chief Smith is a Stun type character who deals Wind damage when she attacks. A Nangong Yu rerun banner appears alongside Claret, while Promeia returns alongside Roxy. Here’s how the two of them look in-game.

Images via HoYoVerse As for the Angels of Delusion Zenless Zone Zero costumes, those are earned via events. Aria’s is called Cuteness Loading, Nangong Yu’s is Heartfelt Support, and Sunna’s is Delusions in Business. The 3. 2 events to earn them are the 14-day Surprise Screening Plan check-in and the pinball-machine creating Clink, Clank, Pinball Knight. Finishing each one lets you select one of the three outfits. When 3. 3 appears, a third event will make it possible to pick the final one. You can see all three of those outfits in the image below.

Image via HoYoVerse The full teaser trailer for Their Secret Histories introduces Flint Workshop and the next parts of the Roscaelifer storyline. And you can see the full 3. 2 Special Program below. Zenless Zone Zero is available for the PS5, Xbox Series X, PC, and mobile devices, and the Their Secret Histories update with Claret and Roxy will arrive when patch 3. 2 debuts on September 9, 2026.